Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday accused Nawaz Sharif of presenting his wife's ailment as a tool to emotionally blackmail the people of Pakistan.

The PTI chief, while welcoming former PML-N leader Zafar Ali Shah into the party, said: "All of our hearts are with Kulsoom Nawaz. My mother also had cancer and I had to take her abroad [for treatment]. But this does not mean that this should be used to emotionally blackmail the nation. You did not remember Kulsoom Nawaz when she was [undergoing treatment] in London and you [Nawaz] were doing jalsas across the country."

He was commenting on an application moved with the accountability court by Nawaz and Maryam, requesting that the date of announcement of the verdict in Avenfield reference should be pushed ahead as they will be unable to attend the July 6 hearing owing to them being in London to look after Kulsoom.

"Nawaz Sharif you will read this [Avenfield reference] verdict in newspapers; Adiala jail is waiting for you," Imran maintained.

The PTI chief also questioned the basis on which Sharifs had moved the request and asked: "whether the same facility is available to the common man". He added that the nations in which the law is different for the rich and the poor get destroyed.

Welcoming Shah into the party fold, Imran said he hoped the former senator would raise his voice if he saw PTI leadership engaging in any sort of financial corruption just like he had raised his voice against Nawaz Sharif.

Imran Khan added that Shah's inclusion in the party will strengthen it in NA-53 where the party's on-ground position is weak. The PTI chief said that he still remembered how Shah had defeated him from Islamabad in 1997 elections.