Daily Times

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) workers and supporters celebrated the temporary relief given to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz by the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday.

A large number of PML-N workers including Members of Punjab Assembly and Members of National Assembly started gathering at PML-N’s secretariat in Model Town soon after the IHC suspended the Avenfield verdict of accountability court, chanting slogans in favour of both Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz. They were chanting “Wazir-e-Azam Sharif’ and “Qaum ki beti qaum ki awaz, Maryam,” “Mian Sahib, I love you, Mian Sahib I love you,” were also chanted by PML-N workers in chorus.

Sharif was put behind bars in Adiala Jail on July 13 as an accountability court awarded sentence of 10 years to him, seven years to Maryam and one year imprisonment to Captain (r) Safdar while announcing its verdict in the Avenfield reference on July 6. A divisional bench of IHC comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangull Hassan suspended the sentence of accountability court while giving temporary relief to the family.

While talking exclusively to Daily Times, PMLN worker Shafqat Hussain who came from Chungi Amar Sadhu, said that it is a historic day for PML-N as its leadership got a much needed relief after a long time and it would definitely boost the morale of millions of PML-N voters present in the country.

“Today’s decision of IHC has rightly proved that Nawaz was ousted only to keep him away from the election procedure and give a safe passage to Prime Minister Imran Khan to the power corridors in the absence of Sharif who still rules the hearts of millions of Pakistanis,” he said. He was of the opinion that PML-N workers reached here on their own only to show their respect to Sharif and his daughter as it was not the party call to reach here. Talking to media persons in Model Town, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz said that Sharif and his daughter appeared in over a 100 hearings but the accountability court has failed to prove allegations leveled against them. He wished that the IHC’s decision would have come early as Sharif would have then be able to spend much time with his ailing wife who passed away in London on September 11 this month. MPA Rukhsana Kaukab, former minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman, MNA Waheed Alam Khan and other parliamentarians also reached Model Town to celebrate the relief given to Sharif.

PMLN worker Muhammad Rafi who reached Model Town from Shadman, said that it is Thanksgiving Day for PML-N and they all gathered here to thank the Almighty who provided a relief to our leadership that was passing through a hard time. “The politics of PML-N will be boosted as both Sharif and Maryam would be free now and address massive rallies in different cities of the country,” he said.

Sweets were also distributed at PML-N’s Lahore office in Nasirabad while Lahore’s president Malik Parvez also arranged a ceremony welcoming IHC’s decision. MPAs and MNAs also distributed sweets at their offices in their constituencies attended by a large number of PML-N workers. Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan organised a ceremony at GOR 1, MPA Kanwal Liaquat held a ceremony in Singh Pura while many PML-N workers gathered at Jati Umrah to welcome Sharif and his daughter.

Published in Daily Times, September 20^th 2018.