Daily Times

Sargodha: PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif continued her country-wide social media conventions with an address to a gathering in Sargodha on Saturday, where she lashed out against the judiciary, referring to the Supreme Court’s latest decision against the ruling party leadership as a joke with the Pakistani public.

“This joke has not been played on Nawaz Sharif, this joke has been played on you!” she said, adding that the biggest party of Pakistan that had millions of voters had been forced to stay away from Senate elections.

“Tell these geniuses that no one can drive Nawaz Sharif’s love from people’s hearts. He is not Nawaz Sharif because of his party presidency or because of his premiership. He became Nawaz Sharif with God’s blessing and all your love,” she said.

Maryam said a new slogan, mein bhi Nawaz hoon [I am also Nawaz], was born the day her father was stripped of PML-N presidency.

“If they want to disqualify Nawaz Sharif, they’ll have to disqualify his voters as well,” she said.

“Would people come out in the streets, all the way from Khyber to Karachi, in support of a person who has stolen from the public?” she asked the attendees, referring to Nawaz Sharif’s public gatherings across the country.

She remarked that the way people had fought for Nawaz by coming out to show their support was a testament to the fact that her father was innocent.

“For the past two years, they have been crying corruption, but tell me, were they able to prove even Rs5 worth of corruption?” she asked, adding, “His [Nawaz’s] assets along with her family’s are constantly put under scrutiny. Don’t show us our assets, show us proof of corruption!”

Reminding the people that her father had been prime minister for two terms before his third ouster in 2017 and that under his leadership the country saw the launch of the greatest number of developmental projects including motorways, power plants, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Metro bus, and the Orange Line train project, she questioned why there had been ‘not a single incident of corruption’ that surfaced in all this time.

Maryam alleged that because no corruption had been proven against her family since the Panama Papers case emerged, her father was removed from office for ‘giving gifts to his daughter’ and ‘not taking salary from his son’.

“What justice!” she exclaimed sarcastically. “Well done judges, what a show of justice!”

Accusing the judiciary of targeting Sharif, Maryam said seven out of the 17 judges of the apex court had been hearing cases against her father alone.

Referring to alleged criticism against Sharif’s mass-contact campaign, she asked, “Do you remember who these judges came to when Musharraf sent 60 of them home with the stroke of a pen?”

“It is alright for them [judges] to address the people’s court for their own restoration, but it is wrong for Nawaz Sharif to come out in public for restoring the integrity of the public vote,” she said rhetorically.

Maryam claimed that PML-N’s strength has not decreased and neither has respect for Sharif after the latest Supreme Court verdict.

“Even the ladla [favourite] who approached the Supreme Court to file a petition against Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case has been forced to question the latest decision taken by them,” she said, in a reference to PTI chairman Imran Khan. Maryam was confident that her party would win the 2018 elections as ‘the revenge has only made the lions stronger and more united’.

“Hold [us] accountable, but don’t exploit. Investigate, but don’t be vengeful. Be the judge, not the complainant,” she said, addressing the apex judiciary. Appreciating the energy and enthusiasm shown at the convention, she invited all party workers to create accounts on all social media platforms to support PML-N.

Earlier, she was given a grand welcome at Sargodha’s Company Bagh. Maryam was also presented with a 21-tola gold crown designed for her by a supporter, Malik Naveed Aslam, which she donated to a school for orphans in Sargodha.

Published in Daily Times, February 25^th 2018.