LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has all the characteristics of Germany’s fascist ruler Adolf Hitler as he deprived the PML-N arrested MNA Rana Sanaullah of basic human rights in the Camp Jail in Lahore, says PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan is a fascist and he has all the characteristics of Hitler. He destroyed the country’s economy, no businessman is ready to invest and flight of capital is being witnessed,” Mr Sharif told the reporters after meeting with the wife of Mr Sanaullah at his residence to show solidarity with the arrested party colleague here on Wednesday.

“Imran Niazi and his regime” were denying Rana Sanaullah medicines, appropriate food and even water, he alleged. “The desperate premier is stooping too low in vengeance and for political victimisation.”

The Opposition Leader in the Nationally Assembly said Mr Sanaullah was a heart patient and his medication and health care was crucial.

He appealed to national institutions to make sure that medicines and proper food were made available to Mr Sanaullah.

“Sanaullah is not just a PML-N leader but a member of the most august institution of democracy,” he said.

“Failed Khan boasts and sermonises on implementation of the rule of law like that of the state of Madina, but needs to be reminded that in the state of Madina suspects were never denied their rights. But Niazi ordered denial of [even] lifesaving medicines to Sanaullah,” he said, and added if anything happened to Rana Sanaullah, `Imran Niazi’ would be held responsible.

Mr Sharif said the frustrated ‘Imran Niazi’ personally orchestrated the fake narcotics case to silence Rana Sanaullah after the National Accountability Bureau and the Anti-Corruption Establishment failed to arrest him on even a false pretext. He assured Mr Sanullah’s family that the party would go to any extent to fight his case.

Former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Imran Khan should now stop his `NRO rant’ and do something for the people who were dying because of his ‘fatal budget’. “The people have become aware of Khan’s ploys and are not interested in his distraction tactics,” he said.

Mr Abbasi said the case registered against Rana Sanaullah was nothing less than a “comedy serial script” with a preposterous story line that was self-contradicting. “This case is an open proof of how this was an act of sheer political victimisation aimed at silencing a staunch and loud voice for democracy against Khan’s disastrous rule.”

Meanwhile, PML-N information secretary Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran Khan would never escape the echoes of ‘selected prime minister’ as it would continue to haunt him no matter how low he stooped to pressurise the PML-N leaders into silence with his vengeful political victimisation.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2019