LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should not have the licence to shame politicians just three months before the general elections.
This was observed by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb while talking to the media after inquiring about the health of Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday.
She said that money laundering allegations against the thrice-elected former prime minister Nawaz Sharif by NAB on the basis of rumours is absolutely ridiculous in the view of the fact that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the World Bank has already contradicted the story. She said that taking notice of fake news by the NAB chairman was very disappointing.
Marriyum said that corruption of not even a single penny had been established in the six references that were filed against Nawaz because of which further extension in the trial period was being sought. Responding to a question, she said that a precedent had been set in the country to abuse and to denigrate anybody at any time coinciding with a media trial.
The minister said that the only crime of Nawaz was that he was a popular leader and the people had thrice elected him as the prime minister of the country, adding that wherever he went he was followed by the masses. She said that what was being done to Nawaz amounted to ridiculing the mandate of the people and such a detestable act must come to an end.
The minister said that on one hand, a thrice-elected prime minister was being put through the rigours of a trial and on the other hand a darling was acquitted from heinous cases. She said that the case of Nawaz was being heard day and night whereas the documents of yet another darling went missing.
Marriyum said that the cases against the Sharif family were quintessential of political vendetta and Nawaz had to endure two years of a tedious trial. The minister said that in spite of all those machinations, Nawaz would emerge triumphant in upcoming general elections because the mandate of the people was not under the control of anyone.
She said that the ‘aliens’ were those who sent the prime minister home repeatedly. She asked Imran to tell the people in his public rallies what he had done during the last five years.
Replying to another question, she said that the opponents could only hurl allegations against them but could not say even one sentence about their own performance. Marriyum said that the people of Sindh had the right to ask Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to show the performance of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in any sphere and likewise the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) could ask Imran the same question.
She said that the liars continued the tsunami of billion lies during the last five years but they should be aware of the fact that they could not win the upcoming elections through lies and abuses. She said that the elections would be fought on the basis of performance and not by using filthy language.
Earlier, the minister, while inquiring the welfare of the interior minister, prayed for his early recovery and expressed noble wishes for him. Referring to the assassination attempt on Iqbal she said that issuing of the statement of the attacker during the investigation was an immoral act. The minister said that Iqbal had always served the nation and talked about the prosperity and progress of the country. She said that he would soon be among them to continue the journey towards progress and service to the nation. Marriyum said that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had started its investigations and after the completion of the process, the nation would be informed about the facts that were unraveled.
The minister also met senior journalist Mujibur Rehman Shami and while talking to him, she said that a law needed to be promulgated under which the proceedings of a case against the politicians should be held in abeyance before three to six months of the elections like the ban on recruitment and development projects by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). She said that initiation of political cases just before the elections amounted to pre-poll rigging.
