Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Friday said that the sole objective of the politics of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was to fool the people.

“They always look to the umpire’s finger and want to enter the corridors of power through the backdoor,” the PML-N supremo told reporters inside the accountability court during hearing of corruption references against the Sharif family.

“Things have come to the point where they are holding rallies of 100-200 people,” Nawaz deplored. “If they wanted us to lose in the Senate elections, they should have used their own power,” he said. “What sort of democracy it is that an elected government is removed within minutes,” he asked, referring to the surprise dismissal of PML-N government in Balochistan earlier this year.

The three-time premier also questioned the recent election of independent senator from Balochistan Sadiq Sanjrani as chairman of the Upper House. “Who is Sanjrani? He was named by a group of six senators and he became the chairman. Everyone knows who is behind him,” he added.

Nawaz said that the PML-N will include judicial reforms in its manifesto for the upcoming general elections. “The door of reforms should always stay open,” he asserted, adding the PML-N will continue to play its role for ensuring fair and free elections in the country.

Earlier, in another twist in the Avenfield reference case, Joint Investigation Team head Wajid Zia tried to present the ‘original’ letter of Qatari Prince Muhammad Bin Jasim al Thani stating that he had presented a photocopy before the accountability court a day before. Surprisingly, the letter that bore the Supreme Court seal as well, turned out to be different from the one submitted by the JIT chief a day earlier.

Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervez raised objection over the admissibility of another letter by the Qatari prince. The court did not allow the letter and asked Wajid Zia to submit an application before the court for the admissibility of the new evidence.

Zia also presented the draft of the agreement signed between Al Taufiq Company and Hudaibiya Paper Mills and land registry of London Flats and Nescol Company. The court made the land registry of the Nelson and Nescol related to the London Flats part of the judicial record.

During the hearing, Nawaz, Maryam and Capt (r) Safdar appeared before the court.

Published in Daily Times, March 17^th 2018.