LAHORE: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lashed out at his political rivals while also taking jibes at the powers-that-be in statements made to the media and during a jalsa in Sahiwal on Tuesday.
Speaking to a huge crowd in Sahiwal, Nawaz said that in the upcoming election he was up against the ‘unseen forces’, not against any particular political party.
Earlier in a statement, responding to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s statements, Nawaz said he did not want to engage in a war of words with the former president but he insisted that was Zardari so innocent that he got duped by him.
On Monday, Zardari had claimed that Nawaz took every opportunity to discredit him when the PPP was in power. He said Nawaz made him fight the establishment while he himself extended a hand of friendship towards them.
Nawaz responded by asking why was Zardari making the claim public after three years. “Do not distort history,” he told Zardari, adding that being opposed to former president General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf shouldn’t be seen as being against an institution.
“To become a part of the government, our conditions were Musharraf’s impeachment, restoration of the deposed judges and abolition of the 17th Amendment,” Nawaz said. He said, “Zardari should remember he came to meet me in Raiwind along with a national political figure.”
Nawaz claimed he rejected Zardari’s proposal to condone Musharraf’s action by an act of Parliament, adding that Zardari was aware that he had nothing to do with the NAB action against Dr Asim Hussain and other Sindh government members.
“Zardari said he was acting on my directions. Now he should tell the public whose puppet he is.”
At the rally in Sahiwal, Nawaz mocked PTI chairman Imran Khan by saying that his party members formed queues to vote for Peoples Party candidates in the Senate election. He said voting for other parties’ candidates was tantamount to formation of a ‘government of stooges’.
“Imran has become a stooge,” the former premier said, adding that Zardari and Imran had a secret understanding to not oppose each other.
“Have some shame, you think people cannot understand your tricks?” he asked.
On the PTI’s Lahore jalsa, Nawaz took a jibe in Punjabi, saying, “Jalsa Lahore da, banda Pishore da, tey agenda kise hor da.” (Rally in Lahore, crowd from Peshawar, and agenda from someone else). “Laadley sahib, you are not succeeding. You were a failure earlier and you have failed now as well,” he said.
Nawaz asked the participants of the jalsa to visit Peshawar and see for themselves what ‘naya Pakistan’ was set up by the PTI government. “Peshawar is in ruins while the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also in poor condition.”
“PML-N put an end to load shedding in the whole of country, rooted out terrorism and restored peace to Karachi,” the former premier said.
“We brought CPEC to Pakistan and they are again pushing a well-to-do country backwards.”
Regarding his new slogan ‘vote ko izaat do’, he said, “It seeks to end all that has been happening with democratic institutions for the last 70 years.”
Nawaz promised to make a mini-motorway in Sahiwal if his party was once again elected into power.
Earlier, Maryam Nawaz said that Imran Khan played the role of a ‘guest actor’ in each election held in the country.
Addressing the participants, she said the rally was just the beginning of the party’s ‘public mobilisation’ drive.
“When Imran’s party during election time ends, he is nowhere to be found then,” she said, adding that the PTI chief would once again disappear after the upcoming general elections.
“It is Imran’s fate to be used as a pawn,” she said.
Strict security arrangements were in place at the venue, with 1,145 police personnel deployed for security duties, according to the district police officer.
Published in Daily Times, May 2nd 2018.
