Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah has said if anything adverse happens to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, it will be considered a ‘murder’ and the government will be responsible for it, a private TV channel reported.

Speaking to media in Sukkur on Sunday, Shah expressed concerns over Nawaz’s deteriorating health and urged the people to pray for the health and well-being of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo. “[The] prime minister is [responsible] for the entire country, not just a political party. Imran Khan has not regarded himself as a prime minister yet. He’s still doing container politics,” the PPP leader said.

Nawaz has been imprisoned at the Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 2018 following his conviction in a corruption reference in line with the Supreme Court’s July 2017 verdict. According to his family, his health is deteriorating and he has been denied medical treatment by doctors at the Services Hospital, PIC and the Jinnah Hospital. Prime Minister Imran Khan, however, has instructed Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to ensure that every health facility in the country is made available for Nawaz to get the treatment of his choice.

“Our politics is not of verbal abuses. We have seen many ups and downs, we have never talked about power, we have always talked about the public,” Shah said, adding that it is unfortunate that PM Imran is “still not ready to climb down from the container.”

On PM’s criticism of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari delivering his speech in the parliament in English language, Shah said, “Quaid-e-Azam used to deliver his speeches in English, yet the entire nation understood his every word.”

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry shot back at the opposition regarding its criticism of the government over medical treatment of Nawaz Sharif, saying they are doing politics on the health of the PML-N leader.

Addressing a public gathering in Jhelum, Fawad said Nawaz Sharif’s continued refusal to be shifted to the hospital of his choice for treatment of his cardiac disease makes it seem like it isn’t a matter of medical treatment ‘but of politics’. “Nawaz Sharif might not be doing this himself, but there is a section within PML-N which is doing politics on his health because, they have no public issue on which they can do politics,” he alleged.

Fawad also responded to the statement given by senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah. “You are not worried about Nawaz Sharif, you are concerned about yourself being sent to jail,” he retorted, addressing Shah. He said the ‘misdeeds’ committed by the PPP leader are before everyone to see.

The minister said there is currently no real bone of contention between the government and the opposition, except that the former wants the latter to be held accountable for the way the nation’s money is used by them. “We say, ‘don’t cry, answer for [the money]’ (Naa ro, hisaab do), and they [the opposition] say NRO,” he said, alluding to an NRO-type deal with political rivals.

Fawad said the PTI has no personal vendetta against the opposition leaders, but they will be made accountable for the loot and plunder of the national wealth. The opposition’s only agenda is to get relief from the cases of corruption as they have never raised the issue of masses like inflation and increasing prices, he added.

Published in Daily Times, March 11^th 2019.