Nawaz struggling for sanctity of vote, democracy: Maryam

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said that the former premier was struggling for the sanctity of vote and the supremacy of democracy.

She said that the rejection of the amendment to the Elections Bill 2017 – which would have barred disqualified parliamentarians from heading political parties – was a victory for parliament and democracy.

“Yesterday was a historic day for democracy. The treasury benches were satisfied while the opposition was worried in the National Assembly. Parliament had thrown former dictator Pervez Musharaf’s black law in the dustbin,” she remarked while talking to a private news channel.

She said that the rejection of amendment to the Elections Bill was the happiest day for democratic forces, adding that it showed that democracy had not weakened in the country.

She further said that 70 members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been present in the National Assembly on Tuesday while the interior minister was absent because he was busy in a meeting.

She said that in spite of getting millions of votes, Nawaz Sharif was disqualified simply on the basis of an ‘iqama’, adding that the injustice which happened in the country should be reported.

She further said that undemocratic elements had ridiculed the public mandate, as the case which had started with Panama Papers ended on a decision based on iqama.

She said that Nawaz Sharif right now was stronger than ever before in spite of his many sacrifices, exile and punishments. “Nawaz has become an ideology and is spreading from home to home,” she added.

Maryam said that the opposition was trying to hide behind national institutions as it was unable to face Nawaz Sharif on political and electoral grounds.

To a question, Maryam said that Shehbaz Sharif was a loyal brother to Nawaz and had struggled a lot for the party. She said that Shehbaz had been the party’s first choice for taking Nawaz’s place after the latter’s disqualification but the Punjab chief minister himself refused to take up the position so that he could see the development projects initiated in Punjab to their end.