Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, while talking exclusively to Geo News’ programme “Jirga with Saleem Safi” shed light on the ongoing political crisis and emerging differences between her and the party’s senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Claiming that the new setup in the establishment is neutral, Maryam Nawaz said that there are elements associated with Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed that are helping Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan because their interests are interlinked.
She said that due to this support, Khan doesn’t appear before the court despite being called numerous times.
Maryam deemed the content of the alleged audio leaks of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as “bench fixing”.
“I said long ago that bench fixing is happening. Elahi’s leaked audio is its evidence,” she stated.
All set for elections, says Maryam Nawaz
Reflecting upon the provincial elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, which is the core demand of PTI, Maryam said that she and her party are all set for elections.
When asked if the party was avoiding polls, Maryam stated: “Who said [we are] running away from elections? I am in front of the public and preparing for the polls.”
She added that all the places that she has visited recently are a part of the election campaign. “We are preparing for the polls. Everyone wants a ticket from PML-N,” she claimed.
The party’s chief organiser said that there is a list of people who wants PML-N’s tickets from all four provinces.
Shahid Khaqan’s departure from PML-N would be an insult to me: Maryam Nawaz
Addressing the rumours of a rift between her and former PML-N senior vice-president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Maryam said that she had a detailed conversation with him for two and a half hours about his resignation.
Maryam said that Abbasi’s departure from the party will be an “insult to me, not to him”; however, Khaqan told her that she is like a sister to him. “He wanted to give me some space. I will not let Abbasi go, nor is he going anywhere,” she maintained.
Don’t believe in revenge: Maryam Nawaz
When asked that there are apprehensions that Maryam might take revenge when she comes to power, the PML-N senior vice president said, “I don’t have to do anything, they already are suffering because of their own deeds.”
She said that she doesn’t believe in revenge and won’t do what Khan’s government did in the past to her party. Moreover, she said that now both the establishment and Khan are busy exposing each other.
Maryam assures Nawaz’s return
Maryam again assured party followers that her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, will come back. She said: “This is Nawaz Sharif’s homeland and he will return to the country.”
“Fake cases were lodged against him and he not only appeared before the law [judiciary] but also accepted the victimisation with dignity in the larger interest of the country,” she said.
