LAHORE, Mar 13 (NNI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president and chief organiser Maryam Nawaz on Monday lambasted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan ‘for stealing gifts’ from Toshakhana, saying that all PTI have against her was a box of pineapple.
Addressing a gathering of the PML-N ‘young leaguers’ in Lahore, the PML-N chief organiser claimed that there was no wristwatch in her name, but just a pineapple.
“All they have against me is a box of pineapple?” Maryam Nawaz asked, claiming that Imran Khan and his wife committed money laundering by selling Toshakhana gifts abroad.
She pointed out that the incumbent government declassified the details of Toshakhana, but Imran Khan refused to provide the records when asked by the court. “Those who didn’t steal from Toshkhana make details public,” she added.
Ms Nawaz took a dig at the deposed premier over the electoral campaign, saying, “Imran Khan says that I (Maryam) have the freedom of staging the electoral campaign but not him. We have faced difficulties for four years but nobody pointed fingers on Imran Khan.”
She lamented Mr Khan did not even reach the house of PTI worker Ali Bilal, also known as Zille Shah. Ms Nawaz added, “Zille Shah’s mother said Imran Khan’s sons are living abroad but my son has been killed.”
She said that Imran Khan was misguiding the youth and using them for negative activities. “A so-called leader [Khan], who was unable to share the grief of deceased party worker Zille Shah, how he would protect the rights of the youth of the country,” she added.
“The PTI chief did not spare the body of his worker, who sacrificed his life for the party, and played politics over it and tried to get political mileage out of his death,” Maryam added.
Maryam Nawaz said that how a person who could not be sincere to his daughter can be sincere to daughters of the nation. “How the person who could not be sincere to the slain PTI worker Zil Shah could be sincere to the sons of the nation?” she maintained.
She also said that the political parties should not raise hollow slogans like the PTI was doing, but take practical steps to bring the youth into the mainstream.
She said the performance of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, was self-evident, as a number of initiatives were taken to make the youth self-dependent during the party rule, besides providing them with all facilities in the education sector.
“Prices of the commodities remained under control during the PML-N government and people were happy with the government”, she said adding that the PML-N also signed an IMF deal, but it not only completed it successfully but also kept the prices of the commodities under control.
On the other hand, she added that the deal, signed by the “corrupt and incompetent PTI government” was never implemented and it caused inflation in the country.
“The PML-N left the government in 2018 with growth rate of 6 percent, while during its four-year rule, the PTI rolled back the economic progress and brought the GDP to around 2 percent,” she added.
Maryam Nawaz claimed that the PTI government made the worst victimisation of the PML-N leadership and fabricated cases were registered against them. “The entire party leadership faced the cases and appeared in courts; however, nothing was proved against any of the PML-N leader”, she added.
Maryam Nawaz said that politics of the PTI was all about levelling baseless accusations against the opponents.
“Pakistan was capable enough to tackle any external threat; however the country was facing internal threats only as political polarisation was a major threat the country was facing right now,” she added.
Lashing out at Imran Khan over the matter of cipher, Ms Nawaz said, “To play with cipher means to play with the country. I am fully confident that Imran Khan has been launched to worsen the situation of the country. How can you become the premier after you took the country to quagmire in four years.”
Reminding Mr Khan of the qualities of a “true leader”, Ms Nawaz said, “A true leader always leads from the front.”
Meanwhile, the PML-N has started preparations for the elections. PML-N chief organizer Maryam Nawaz made a telephonic contact with party Quaid Nawaz Sharif. They discussed the distribution of party tickets among the candidates.
On the other hand, Punjab former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz is likely to return to Pakistan tonight. NNI
