Daily Times

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday rejected the ‘charter of economy’ proposed by Shehbaz Sharif to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

When asked if she has any differences with her uncle and party president Shehbaz Sharif who has floated the proposal, Maryam said she has difference of opinion over the issue and that what she said is her personal opinion. “Shehbaz Sahab is leader of the opposition and he has more political and administrative experience than me, and he must have considered things that I am unable to see when he talked about the charter of economy,” Maryam told a hard-hitting presser at party’s central secretariat in Model Town.

“It is my personal opinion that the charter of economy will be in fact ‘Mazaq-e-Maeeshat’ (joke of economy) because we shouldn’t talk to a person who came into power after stealing the mandate of the people and ruined the economy,” she said. “It will be tantamount to giving an NRO to the government if charter of economy is signed with them and every party of the opposition will also be considered as an abettor in this crime if it gives support to the government,” she remarked. “Imran Khan wants an escape but we shouldn’t give him the way to run away,” she added.

To a question about the commission of inquiry formed to investigate the loans taken during the last decade, she said the man who took loans of Rs 5,000 billion in just 10 months and didn’t spend those on any of the development projects is talking about the investigation commission. “PML-N can show you power projects of 1100 MW including Haveli Bahadur Shah and Neelum Jehlum and world-class motorways, but he (Imran Khan) has nothing to show to people after taking loans of billions,” she added.

The investigation commission should start from 1999 and the last 10 months of the government should also be included in it, Maryam said, and also questioned the presence of NAB and officials of intelligence agencies in the commission. “When the political vendetta is on the rampage in the country, then the national institutions shouldn’t become part of the investigation commission,” she said. “The NAB, ISI and MI should stay away from this nonsense,” she added.

“If a JIT is constituted against Maryam Nawaz, then why the same JIT isn’t made on Imran Khan, Aleema Khan and Jahangir Tareen,” Maryam said, and claimed that the representative of ISI in the JIT had asked more question from her than any other member of the investigation team. She said the constitution of Pakistan is the most sacred book for her after the Holy Quran and that all the investigations should be held within the ambit of the law.

Talking about the health condition of her father Nawaz Sharif, she said the heart ailment of Sharif is 20 years old and that he suffered three heart attacks during this time. She claimed that Nawaz suffered the third heart attack in Adiala jail when she was also confined there but she wasn’t told about it by the jail officials. According to Maryam, Nawaz Sharif is suffering from complicated health issues and the treatment of his multiple diseases is only possible abroad. She also accused the government of recording her conversation with her father in the jail.