Al-Azizia verdict 'is another stamp on Nawaz Sharif's honesty': Maryam Nawaz

Published December 24, 2018
Maryam Nawaz reacts to accountability court's verdict against her father Nawaz Sharif. — File
Maryam Nawaz reacts to accountability court's verdict against her father Nawaz Sharif. — File

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, in a series of tweets on Monday, claimed that the accountability court's verdict against her father Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference was "based on assumptions".

Minutes after the court handed Sharif seven years in jail and a fine of $2.5 million in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference, Maryam took to Twitter to express support for her father.

"Punishment to the same man for the fourth time. [This was] blind revenge's last hiccup but victory is Nawaz Sharif's, thank God.

"After two-and-a-half years of revenge-like accountability, after rummaging through three generations, not a penny's worth of corruption, kickback or commission was found."

Maryam claimed that "all the verdicts against Sharif were regarding the personal business of his deceased father (Mian Sharif)", adding that "when they could not find anything they announced the verdict on assumptions.

"Today's verdict is another stamp on Nawaz Sharif's honesty and sincerity. These verdicts will vanish, what will remain is Nawaz Sharif's honesty and the opponents' burden of tyrannies because government, power and privileges are there to end. It does not take long for tides to turn. Remember, when tyranny crosses limits, it ends.

"Had there been even a smidgen of truth in allegations against Nawaz Sharif then 10,000 dirhams would not have been used as an excuse, and the support of family business and personal dealings would not been taken. Precisely this is the victory of Nawaz Sharif. With him, every voter of PML-N has also succeeded."

Maryam termed the verdict an indictment of "the government's weakness", reminding them that "governments are not run by targeting opponents."

"Governments are run on the basis of their character and performance," she added.

Furthermore, Maryam accused the PTI of conspiring against her father, claiming that "the government officials head to work each day thinking 'what do I have to do against Nawaz Sharif today?'"

Maryam's salvo of tweets follow her return to social media on Sunday evening. The previous tweet she had made was on July 24, urging PML-N workers to come out of their homes the next day (July 25, when 2018 general elections were held) to vote for the party.

Both Maryam and her father had been taken into custody from the Lahore airport on their return from London on July 13 in the Avenfield apartment reference. Since then the duo, particularly Maryam, seldom spoke or reacted publicly to any political development. She also stayed away from the social media when she and her father were bailed out by the Islamabad High Court on Sept 19, eight days after her mother’s demise.

According to sources, she is expected to take a more active role in party politics following Monday's verdict against her father.

Political opponents being subjected to revenge, says PPP leader

PPP spokesperson Senator Moula Bux Chandio said that political opponents were being subjected to revenge in the name of accountability.

He was commenting over the sentence handed to former premier Nawaz Sharif. Chandio said the PTI government was misleading the people in the pretext of accountability.

The PPP leader, however, said Nawaz Sharif was facing the prevailing circumstances and confinement because of his own politics of revenge.

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