ISLAMABAD: Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said victory in Lodhran by-elections was a reply by masses to the fake cases registered against him. “The public of Lodhran took revenge from those who tried to take revenge from us,” the PML-N chief said while speaking to media outside an accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday, adding that the nation was replying to the conspiracies and cases unleashed against him. Maintaining that his case was being fought by the Pakistani nation, Nawaz alleged that revenge was being taken under the pretext of accountability but the reaction of the nation was clear. He said that revenge was being taken from those who served the country. He claimed that those who were preparing references against him wanted to see him punished. He said that supplementary references were being prepared against him, adding that if there had been any truth in the current references, then the need for the supplementary reference would not have arisen. In a thinly veiled reference to Pervez Musharraf, Nawaz said that those who broke the law and jailed judges were not being held accountable. He pointed out that those against whom treason cases were registered had never been arrested and instead allowed to leave the country. Meanwhile, the accountability court has fixed February 22 for recording statements of two foreign witnesses via video link in the NAB supplementary reference against Sharif family in Avenfield Apartments case. Sharif family has filed an application seeking a fortnight’s exemption from personal attendance from February 19 onwards on grounds that the former first lady’s treatment is in final stages and the family needed to be with her. The court would hear arguments on exemption application on February 15. The court has also directed NAB DG to explain reasons of delay in filing supplementary references in Flagship and Al-Azizia cases. Published in Daily Times, February 14th 2018.