Hafeezullah Niazi reacts to Maryam Nawaz's ‘justification’ of son’s prison sentence

Political analyst Hafeezullah Niazi on Wednesday reacted to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz's comments on the prison sentence of his son Hassaan Khan Niazi.

Appearing on the Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Hafeezullah Niazi said that  hearing Maryam Nawaz's comment on his son's sentence saddened him, saying, “When Maryam Nawaz commented on Hassaan Niazi's sentence, I felt that politics has no shame.”

The Punjab CM, while addressing a cheque distribution ceremony at the University of Sargodha under the Honhaar Scholarship Programme on Wednesday, had stated that former Premier Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi had been rightly punished as his conduct was an absolute disgrace to the nation.

She said that Hassaan Niazi was handed a 10-year prison sentence for disrespecting the military uniform.

Maryam Nawaz further stated that imagine what Hassaan Niazi’s parents are going through after the sentence of their son in the 9 May riots case.

Hafeezullah Niazi had been a vocal supporter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) since a long time. 

A military court has awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to Hassaan Niazi in connection with the ransacking of the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence (Jinnah House) in Lahore.

“As a democrat and constitutionalist, I will never support military courts…I don’t seek relief for Hassaan Niazi but justice," the analyst said, adding that his son had arrived at the Jinnah House location after the attack.

Moreover, he said that an unidentified man handed over his son the pants of the army uniform after his son commented about the waist of the military personnel, admitting that, indeed, his son's remarks were disgraceful. 

However, Hafeezullah Niazi maintained that he would challenge the sentence in courts.

“Maryam Nawaz made an irresponsible statement,” he said on the Express-News political talk show Kal Tak on the same day.

“Whoever set ablaze Jinnah House must be held responsible…if proven guilty, the state should have given them even 14 years imprisonment,” the TV analyst said. He also decried the state, saying, “State has been lying for so long to support these cases.”

Additionally, he expressed optimism that Hassaan Niazi would be released soon, adding, “He will not remain confined for ten years in jail; I have seen that there is no expiry date on injustice. I know Pakistan's 70 years of history.”

Hafeezullah Niazi responded to talk show host Javed Chaudhry's inquiry about whether he was optimistic that justice would be served to his son, noting, “No matter if justice is not served to my son, I know that my son is innocent.”