ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz said on Monday that behind the slew of references filed against her family was the vindictive agenda to teach her father and her family a lesson.

Responding to a question Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir asked about why the reference regarding Avenfield properties was filed against her, Maryam said it was the mindset that they (her family) will be “taught a lesson”. She added that because of this mindset, she and her family had been threatened, harassed and victimised because they had refused to accept excesses and stood up to injustice, and questioned the rotten practice of humiliating elected prime ministers.

Maryam recorded her testimony under Section 342 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) even though the Supreme Court, in its April 20, 2017 order, had never asked the joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate her. However, “it stands amply demonstrated by now in this trial that the JIT was on agenda to implicate the whole [Sharif] family by any means whatsoever,” she said.

Maryam testified that her implication in the case had been prompted by mala fide intention and extraneous consideration. “I have been falsely accused on account of my commitment to the political cause of true democracy, rule of law and Constitution and for siding with my father, who has to his credit, excellent performance in terms of public welfare and well being of the nation at the expense of illegal incarceration and exile for a number of years on account of political victimisation,” she said.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader said she had appeared before the court more than 70 times and yet their ordeal had not ended. “I know why I am being kept away from my mother who is suffering from the fatal disease of cancer and I also know that in Pakistan’s 70 years history, no woman has appeared before the court so many times,” she added.

She said that she did not represent weakness, but rather the strength of Nawaz Sharif, and vowed to never let her father’s head bow in defeat.

“I am innocent,” Maryam told a reporter, who asked if she wanted to elaborate further. “I am not being made to stand this trial for any kind of corruption, any theft; I have not even held public office. My only crime is that I am the daughter of Nawaz Sharif,” she said.

While recording her statement, she said, “I am not and have never been the beneficial owner of Nescoll, Nielsen companies or the Avenfield properties, nor have I derived any financial benefit from either company or the said property in any way, whatsoever.”

She challenged the authenticity of a Mossack Fonseca letter, dated June 22, 2012, and claims by investigation agencies that she was the beneficial owner of the offshore companies that owned the London properties.

Maryam pointed out to the court that the JIT investigating the Panamagate case had not produced an original letter, in response to which Mossack Fonseca had allegedly stated that Maryam was the beneficial owner of the contentious offshore accounts.

“These documents were not certified as required by the applicable law nor were they subjected to cross-examination by me so that I could test the veracity of the contents of these documents,” she said.

Therefore, she stated, the document could not be used as evidence against her since it would be tantamount to denying her right to a fair trial.

Maryam also denied involvement “in any transaction of the sale of 25 per cent of Gulf Steel Mills in 1980 and with subsequent investments”.

Election 2018 code of conduct targets PML-N, Nawaz says

Former PM Sharif, during an informal chat with reporters at the court, claimed that by barring political parties from projecting their governments’ work in the upcoming general elections, his party had been targeted.

He termed the code of conduct for the upcoming polls “unfair”, and said that the PML-N would officially express its displeasure against it.

Mr Sharif recalled the projects initiated during his tenure and indicated that his party stood to gain the most by projecting progress.

He criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and claimed that the Imran Khan-led party could not deliver anything worthwhile in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Their five-year performance was disappointing,” he said. “Imran Khan can hardly point out any single project in the public sector, social sector, communications or related to energy that the KP government has delivered in their five years,” he said.

The PML-N supremo also questioned the nomination of Manzoor Afridi as caretaker chief minister of KP. “He is the brother of an incumbent senator belonging to the PTI,” he pointed out. Mr Sharif claimed that the legal battle he was currently embroiled in was identical to the 1999 hijacking case in which he was convicted and awarded 27 years of imprisonment.

He also discussed a BBC story that highlighted the partial ban on several media organisations in Pakistan, saying that the situation was alarming and keeping the media under pressure amounted to pre-poll rigging.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2018