Pakistan Muslim League (N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Friday accused the security establishment of being behind his ouster as Prime Minister and for bringing Imran Khan to power. According to Dawn, the former Prime Minister was addressing the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) first power show in Gujranwala via video link from London. Top opposition leaders gathered to take part in the anti-government campaign.
The comments come post the Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed in a meeting with members of the opposition “counselled them” to not drag the military into the political issues.
“This is your doing…You can label me a traitor if you want, seize my properties, file false cases against me […] but Nawaz Sharif will continue to speak for his people,” added Sharif, as quoted by Dawn.
Also read: Border clashes left Sino-Indian relationship ‘profoundly disturbed’: EAM Jaishankar
Also read: Jaishankar slams Pakistan, says normal neighbours do visas, trade, not terrorism
Sharif also hit out at the incumbent government for “failing to do its job” adding that people are suffering the consequences of the government’s incompetence. He further asked why civilian leaders like him were victimised.
“Why are elected prime ministers not allowed to complete their five-year term? We made so many strides in development,” he said about the time he was the prime minister adding that “this government ruined everything.”
He spoke about being labelled “a traitor” and said that it was not the first time that dictators used this term to oust civilian leaders “because they talk about the law and Constitution”. “Who are patriots? The ones who destroyed the Constitution, who broke the country into two halves.”
Sharif further asked why Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa — who announced that he was stepping down as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting — not facing any cases for reportedly “amassing assets beyond known sources of income”.
The former Prime Minister said that the National Accountability Bureau should have investigated these claims and slammed the NAB as “one-sided” and only goes after the opposition. Pakistan opposition leaders along with an “ocean” of people made their way to Gujranwala for the first show of strength of their anti-government campaign.
The recently-formed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) held its first anti-government protest in Gujranwala on Friday. The opposition comprising 11 parties including PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz), PPP (Pakistan People’s Party), and JUI-F (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl) will be holding the Gujranwala Rally.
The anti-government rally has been organised to protest against army atrocities and demand for PM Imran Khan’s resignation in the backdrop of corruption, economic slowdown, and poor governance. A number of politicians, including PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Asif, Khurram Dastagir and veteran politician Javed Hashmi, are already present at the venue.
Also read: India-US 2+2 dialogue likely to take place in New Delhi on October 26-27
