Daily Times

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has warned of protests outside the National and Punjab assemblies tomorrow (Wednesday) if the government fails to summon the session of the two houses today.

Talking to media following the PML-N’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting over Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest on Monday, former Punjab law minister Sanaullah announced the PML-N would submit requisitions for sessions of the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly today.

“If our demand is not met, we will stage protests outside the respective assemblies tomorrow,” he said.

He added that if the party’s demands were not met then the protest would not only be contained to the assemblies but would also be carried out in the streets.

He said that Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), should be brought to parliament so that he could present his case before the people of the country.

Former Punjab chief minister had been arrested by the anti-corruption watchdog on the charge that he tried to influence the transfer of a contract for the Ashiana Housing Scheme from one contractor to another.

“The truth is that the said contract was cancelled on the recommendation of the then provincial finance secretary,” Sanaullah claimed.

“The actual reason behind Shahbaz’s arrest was to carry out ‘political victimisation’ to affect the outcome of the October 14 by-polls,” claimed Sanaullah.

The PML-N leader accused the PTI government of implementing “anti-people policies” since coming into power.

The decision to hold the CEC meeting had been taken by the party leadership a day after an accountability court in Lahore remanded PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif to 10-day custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for an investigation into the Rs 14 billion Ashiana Housing project ‘scam’.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif chaired the formal party meeting after a gap of over four months – including the two months he spent in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail with his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (r) Mohammad Safdar following their conviction in the Avenfield properties reference.

According to PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, the meeting was convened to discuss the situation after the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif by NAB and devise the party’s future strategy.

Aurangzeb said the party believed that Shehbaz Sharif had been arrested as part of the ongoing policy of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to victimise its political opponents. “Shahbaz Sharif’s arrest just before by-elections is unacceptable,” she said. “Such actions will no more be tolerated.”

Published in Daily Times, October 9^th 2018.