Daily Times

Senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, has claimed that “militants” are present at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore During a press conference held in the Punjab capital on Friday, Maryam suggested that Imran Khan should be dealt with like a terrorist, and the state institutions should sit together and discuss the matter. Maryam further alleged that armed groups pelted stones and used sticks against the police at Zaman Park, while Imran Khan challenged the writ of the state and fueled “rebellion”. According to Maryam, the armed groups were using banned outfits to attack the state institutions. “What we saw in Zaman Park has never been seen in the history of the country and he [Imran] did all that only to evade arrest.

Everyone saw the actions of the self-proclaimed political leader,” she said. The PML-N leader said that if the state wanted to arrest the former premier, it would not take more than five minutes to do so but the state was avoiding bloodshed. She added that Imran Khan did not win the 2018 general elections but was brought to power by some people who knew they would not get an extension from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. She said that when the Sharif family was summoned to courts, it did not make any excuse. “This person (Imran) has been asking his people to fill up prisons but he has been making all the excuses in the world to evade arrest and is seeking bails,” she added.

“If the court of summoning you, you must go. No one will arrest you.”

The PML-N leader said that Nawaz Sharif, despite his heart condition, continued to appear in the courts and the entire Sharif family did not make any excuses.

Maryam also criticised Imran Khan’s demand for the court martial of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, claiming that Imran praised Bajwa throughout his tenure. She added that Bajwa and General Faiz have admitted their wrongdoings and brought the institution into disrepute, so the institution should itself take action against them both.

Maryam said that her father, Nawaz Sharif, would soon come to Pakistan to lead the election campaign. She criticised Imran Khan for making excuses to avoid arrest, despite asking his people to fill up prisons.

“A drug addict cannot make decisions for a nation of 220 million who is responsible for the current state of the country,” she said while referring to Imran.

The PML-N leader said that controlling inflation was the government’s number one priority, and if it failed to do so, questions would be raised. “I am not part of the government so I can ask questions… my responsibility is with the party,” she added.

On the IMF deal, she said that the government will never accept any condition which compromises the sovereignty of the country.

The PTI has not yet responded to the allegations made by Maryam Nawaz.