Nawaz says won’t accept judiciary’s ‘double standards’

–Ousted PM says SC ‘did not dare to give verdict against the favourite one’

–Claims Pakistan’s progress slowed down after Panamagate verdict, Abbasi not to blame for it

KOT MOMIN: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that the five-judge Supreme Court (SC) bench which gave the judgement of his disqualification cannot give a verdict against the ‘favourite one’, Imran Khan, even though he had accepted that he owned an offshore company.

“Our respected bench says ‘no Niazi no’, this is not your money. They say [offshore company] money belongs to some other Imran,” he said while speaking to a charged crowd of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters in Kot Momin where the ruling party managed to pull off a power show.

Taking a dig at both Imran and the apex court, Nawaz said that although the endeared one accepted he owned an offshore company worth millions of pounds yet the SC did not dare to give a verdict against him.

“You [Imran] blame everyone of corruption but in truth, you are the most corrupt person. Everyone knows you invested the charity money for your hospital in gambling,” he said.

The former prime minister said that despite lack of evidence he was disqualified on the pretext of Iqama whereas Imran did not get any verdict against it. “We don’t accept such double standards,” he said.

Pointing towards the charged crowd who had come to see and support him, Nawaz said the people have rejected the SC verdict.

“The verdict had brought shame to Pakistan in the world, now conspirators are surfacing yet again,” he said.

Addressing the masses, Nawaz said there was no electricity in Kot Momin when he took the helm in 2013. “We did what many could not do in 20 years,” he said adding that within four years of his party rule he managed to end the rampant problem of load shedding.

He said if the process of progress had slowed down now, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was not to blame. Rather, he said, the verdict should be blamed for the slowing down of the progress and prosperity.

Nawaz said that the SC verdict which de-seated him had brought shame to the country and created chaos.

‘PANAMA VERDICT WAS A JOKE’:

Addressing the gathering, Maryam Nawaz, daughter of the ousted prime minister, said the Panama verdict was a joke because it used Iqama as its bases.

She said Iqama just means a visa and by giving such a verdict, ‘they’ made a joke out of this country.

“Critics couldn’t find anything against Nawaz Sharif, so they brought up Iqama,” Maryam said.

“Three generations of the Sharif family were held accountable in the Panama case but they failed to bring back Musharaf for derailing democracy in the country,” she said.

The emerging politician said that PML-N has managed to stand strong against all odds. “We have governed the country with great difficulty despite protests, sit-ins and lockdowns for four years,” she said.