- PTI chief’s sister Dr Uzma had alleged that Maryam Nawaz’s security guards had hit her car, harassed her but it later turned out that the VVIP escort was accompanying AJK President Chaudhry Yaqoob and PPP leader Faryal Talpur
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was left with egg on his face on Friday after it turned out that his sister’s claim that a security escort vehicle belonging to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz had hit her car in Lahore’s Gulberg area on Friday afternoon and the policemen had misbehaved with her.
Quick to jump the gun, the PTI chief lashed out at the ‘high-handedness’ of the police guards of a ‘VVIP’ and announced to start a movement against the government after Eidul Fitr.
As Maryam Nawaz denied that she was in Lahore at the time of the incident and accused the PTI chief and his sister of leveling a baseless accusation, it was revealed later that the security protocol in question actually belonged to Azad Kashmir President Chaudhry Yaqoob, who along with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur was visiting the house of a PPP leader, Chaudhry Asim Gujjar.
Earlier in the day, Imran Khan’s nephew Hasan Niazi tweeted that the incident occurred when “Dr Uzma Khan, along with her children, was on her way to Friday prayers when an Elite Force vehicle stopped her car and misbehaved (with her)”.
“The security vehicle was coming wrong way down the thoroughfare,” Niazi claimed, adding “The security personnel also pointed their guns at the family.”
In a tweet, Maryam Nawaz said that she felt sorry for Dr Uzma Khan, adding that she reached Lahore at 4:30 pm (from Islamabad). “Liars should have some shame at least in the month of Ramzan,” Maryam posted on her official Twitter account.
Talking to media, Uzma Khan said that she was told by police escorts that Maryam Nawaz was paying a visit to someone’s house on Zahoor Elahi Road.
She said policemen had beaten her sons up at the same place a year ago and the City Police had filed charges against them instead of taking action against their own personnel. She said she would not be filing an FIR as it was of no use, questioning that “are people who do not have protocol and security details not worth anything”.
KHAN ANNOUNCES ANTI-GOVT MOVEMENT:
Speaking about the incident in Karachi, Imran Khan said that a car having tinted windows hit his younger sister’s car in Lahore. He said that the car belonged to some prominent personality, adding that policemen present there also pointed their guns towards her.
Lashing out at the “VIP culture”, Khan announced that his party will initiate a movement against the government after Eidul Fitr. He said that he can foresee the early dismissal of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
However, Khan was left red-faced when he was asked to comment on the revelation that the PM’s daughter’s security protocol was not involved in the incident as alleged by his sister. The PTI chief was visiting qawwal Amjad Sabri’s house in Liaqatabad to offer his condolence over the target killing of the famed qawwali singer.
Khan, however, chose not to respond to the question, and left the place hurriedly.
PPP LEADER CLEARS AIR:
In Lahore, PPP leader Asim Gujjar told reporters that AJK President Chaudhry Yaqoob had visited his house to offer condolence over the death of his mother, who had passed away a few weeks ago.
Gujjar said that the security guards from AJK police escorting President Yaqoob hit the car of Imran Khan’s sister Dr Uzma Khan “accidently”.
“Dr Uzma came to my home shouting and said that security guards had misbehaved with her and hit her car,” Gujjar said, adding, “I apologised to Dr Uzma for the incident.”
On the other hand, CCPO Lahore Amin Wains said that investigation was underway on this issue. He, however, said that there was no protocol for any VVIP movement in Lahore.