PM trying hard but Nawaz refuses to budge

–Deposed PM rejects NSC meeting statement as ‘worrisome and frightening’

–PM tells lawmakers in NA Nawaz Sharif’s statement was ‘misreported’ by Indian media

–Abbasi suggests formation of truth and reconciliation commission

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi again rubbished the ‘misreported’ comments attributed to deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in the National Assembly on Tuesday whereas his party’s supreme leader stuck to his guns as he picked holes in the National Security Committee’s (NSC) “worrisome” statement issued the other day.

Speaking to reporters outside the accountability court, Nawaz Sharif outright rejected the NSC statement wherein the country’s top civil and military leadership had condemned his remarks concerning 2008 Mumbai attacks.

He said it was “worrisome” and “frightening” that the statement is based on “misunderstandings” while referring to the meeting “suggested” by the military wherein his remarks were denounced as “misleading”.

The three-time premier lamented that Pakistan has become isolated in the world, wondering if any country is standing with Pakistan at present [due to its foreign policy].

“Former foreign minister Khawaja Asif should be asked what the world said about Pakistan when he used to go abroad to represent the country,” he said.

Talking about the ‘Dawn Leaks’ saga in 2016, Nawaz said at the time, national security leaders had talked about “putting our own house in order”, but the issue was turned into Dawn Leaks. “However, that was a fact,” he added.

He also reiterated his demand for a national commission to “separate fact from fiction”. Similarly, PM Abbasi also suggested a truth and reconciliation commission be formed to probe into the statement made by Nawaz while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly.

On Monday, Nawaz Sharif had said that the guilty party, be it him for treason or those levelling allegations against him, should be publicly hanged following the verdict of the national commission.

“He who is ready to die for the country has been labelled a traitor,” he had lamented while speaking at a PML-N gathering in Buner.

‘DAWN LEAKS NEWS REGARDING NSC WAS CORRECT’:

Separately, Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz said the news report regarding the NSC meeting in 2016 was correct.

Speaking to journalists outside the accountability court, she maintained that then information minister Pervez Rasheed should not have been punished over the news leak.

ABBASI ATTEMPTS AT DAMAGE CONTROL:

Speaking on the floor of the assembly, the PM, in spite of the aggressive stance of his party quaid, chided lawmakers for bashing Nawaz on the basis of a statement which was “misreported” by Indian media.

The prime minister said that the politicians fell for Indian media’s propaganda, which “misinterpreted” the comments made by the deposed PM during an interview with Dawn newspaper.

“Do we want to let India use us for its own motives?” Abbasi questioned as he advised lawmakers to “know the facts first”.

Throwing his weight behind the three-time ousted premier and party Quaid, PM Abbasi said that issues related to national security must not be exploited for political point scoring. He said Nawaz did not say that the militants were deliberately sent from Pakistan for Mumbai attacks.

Speaking further, PM Abbasi said Nawaz has not said anything that was not said before. “Such remarks were made in the past as well by [PTI chief] Imran Khan, former interior minister Rehman Malik, former president Pervez Musharraf and former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence Shuja Pasha,” he added.

Pakistan has a consistent policy of not allowing the use of its soil for attacks against any other country and that this policy has been followed by governments in the past as well, he reiterated.

Defending Nawaz, he said it was Nawaz Sharif who made the defence of this country invincible and that no one has the authority to issue a “certificate of patriotism”. “However, if parliament desires it can form a truth and reconciliation commission to go deep into the issue,” the PM added.

Earlier, Shah Mehmood Qureshi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regretted the statement of former prime minister about Mumbai attacks. Shazia Marri of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that the statement “hurt the sentiments and emotions of the nation”.

Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) said the matter should be investigated.

While another lawmaker said Nawaz Sharif’s statement negated the sacrifices rendered by the security personnel and the people in the decade-long war on terror.

NAWAZ’S INTERVIEW:

Nawaz Sharif’s recent interview to Dawn has stirred a controversy and has drawn ire of the country’s top civil and military leadership with the National Security Committee (NSC) categorically denying the statement, calling it “completely false and misleading”.

The former premier had said: “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?”

“We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan’s narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it,” he had said.

Nawaz’s remarks were immediately picked up by the Indian media, which termed the former prime minister’s statement as a “confession of Pakistan’s role in the Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead”.