LAHORE: Former premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam on Monday supported the demand of some party workers to restore the membership of PML-N Senator Nehal Hashmi, triggering a debate that he (Nehal) had the blessings of the leadership when he took on the judiciary.

As a number of the PML-N workers on the social media started demanding restoration of the party membership of Nehal Hashmi following the meeting of Nawaz Sharif with former MNA Javed Hashmi, Maryam fully endorsed their demand.

“Yes his (Nehal Hashmi) membership should be restored,” she tweeted.

The PML-N workers’ argued that if Javed Hashmi could be pardoned by Nawaz, why not Nehal Hashmi. They termed Nehal a ‘brave man’ and the lion of Mr Sharif in Karachi .

“Nehal Hashmi should be brought back to his home (PML-N) like that of Javed Hashmi,” a worker commented on Twitter. Another worker said Nehal was really brave in comparison with Javed Hashmi.

On Maryam’s another tweet on Nawaz-Hashmi meeting – homecoming means coming home to what is in your heart...–she was reminded of her tweet she had posted on the departure of Javed Hashmi from the PML-N to Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf when she had said, ‘a useless and selfish man - Javed Hashmi’.

The PTI says Maryam’s endorsement of restoration of Nehal’s membership had vindicated its stance that his tirade against the apex court judges was well-thought-out plan and had the blessings of the leadership.

“After Maryam’s open endorsement rather demand to take Nehal back in the party shows his outburst against the superior court judges was not an impulsive act but well a planned one,” PTI leader from Punjab Begum Mehnaz Rafi told Dawn. She said the PML-N leadership had only suspended his (Nehal) party membership but did not press him to resign from the Senate office.

“What Nehal was speaking against judges yesterday, Nawaz Sharif is speaking today... so there is no difference in the party policy. Unofficially, Nehal is very much part of PML-N,” she said.

Nehal had made a ‘threatening’ speech in May when the joint investigation team was formed by the Supreme Court to probe the Sharif family’s off-shore holdings and money laundering charges in the Panama Papers. He had warned the JIT members that they would be ‘taken to task’ for their act. In a threatening tone, he had said “those grilling the sons of Mr Sharif will not be spared”.

“We will arrange the day of judgment for you. You are making the life of the prime minister difficult, the Pakistani nation will make it difficult for you to live. Those who are holding them (the Sharif family) accountable or those who have made them accountable, listen carefully, we will not spare you. Today you are in service. Tomorrow you will retire. We will make the life of your children and family difficult in Pakistan,” Nehal had said.

A contempt case is pending against Nehal Hashmi.

Published in Dawn, December 05th, 2017