PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Monday said elections will take place only after the “wrongful punishments” awarded to party supremo Nawaz Sharif were struck off and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was “brought to justice”.

Addressing a workers’ convention in Sahiwal, she said: “Elections will definitely happen, but first there will be recompense for the injustices against Nawaz Sharif.

“Election will definitely be conducted [but only] when the wrong sentences against the innocent Nawaz Sharif are reversed and … Imran is brought to justice. Election will take place when the Panama bench that ‘bestowed’ Nawaz with words and titles such as ‘godfather’ and ‘Sicilian mafia’ are taken back.”

The PML-N chief organiser clarified that “justice will be dispensed first” and only then the elections will be held.

Maryam blamed the Panama bench for “destroying the country”, and held it responsible for the country’s woes. “You destroyed Pakistan in the hatred of Nawaz Sharif”.

She said 2023 was indeed the election year and the polls will take place at some point. However, she listed a few more prerequisites to be fulfilled before the elections are held.

“First, bring the watch thief to justice; first, hold accountable the person who kept his daughter secret; first, hold the person responsible for the committing the foreign funding crime; first, bring [to justice] the person whose wife took bribes of five karat diamonds for every file; and first bring them in court and then the elections will take place,” she said.

“When the vote gets its due respect and justice, then elections will take place. Give us justice today and then hold the elections tomorrow,” Maryam said.

She maintained that the standards set for Nawaz will be the same ones set for Imran before the elections take place.

Maryam claimed that courts would open up six days a week for her father’s cases but the same courts “do not have the courage” to summon Imran “whose hands are dipped in crime”.

Her criticism of the judiciary comes after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday accused the judiciary of a double standard, alleging it penalised one leader but protected another.

The PML-N senior vice president herself in a fiery speech on Thursday had come down hard on a “cabal of five”, among which were former and serving members of the judiciary, whom she accused of “conspiring” against Nawaz.

On her cue, a video screen had shown a combo picture of the five people she held responsible.

The pictures had included ex-Inter-Services Intelligence chief retired Lt Gen Faiz, former chief justices Asif Khosa and Saqib Nisar, and two sitting Supreme Court judges, who were part of a top court bench hearing a suo motu case to determine who had the constitutional responsibility and authority to announce the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Contempt petition against Maryam fixed for hearing

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court fixed for hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) a contempt of court petition against Maryam regarding her February 23 speech.

The petition was filed today by Advocate Muhammad Shahid Rana under Article 204 (contempt of court) of the Constitution and Sections 2c, 3, 5, 6c, 7 and 11 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003.

The petition said that most of Maryam’s sentences regarding the judiciary in her speech last week were “contemptuous” and thus made her liable to be punished.

It argued that Maryam had “scandalised” a Supreme Court judge through her live address. It further said that she could not propagate a judge or court’s misconduct but only inform the Supreme Judicial Council or the president about the misconduct.

The petition requested that Maryam be summoned and “brought to book in accordance with law”.