LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan says Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif had himself withdrawn his bail extension application and went to NAB’s custody after feeling pushed against the wall over policies and narrative of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

“N-League has absconded abroad, ‘S-League’ behind bars and now ‘M-League’ is enjoying a free hand to play its politics,” said Mr Chohan while speaking at a news conference here on Saturday.

He said Shahbaz Sharif had become frustrated over politics within the family because he was busy in doing political engineering to save himself and his son Hamza Shahbaz.

Mr Chohan chided the PML-N leadership for calling the 2018 general elections as rigged and the incumbent government as “selected” and added that ‘world’s historic rigged elections’ were those held in 2013. He said 410 petitions were filed against election rigging and PTI chairman Imran Khan had asked for opening of just four constituencies’ results.

Stating that the PML-N government had continued to make satirical comments, he said, the four constituencies’ results were eventually opened on the directions of the Surpeme Court and Election Commission of Pakistan and added that rigging was proved in all the four constituencies.

In the 2018 elections, he said, only 95 petitions were filed regarding rigging including 45 in Punjab.

Mr Chohan also lambasted the PML-N leaders for making claims of developing atom bomb and cruise missile and said the nuclear bomb was made in 1980s but Pakistan never disclosed it. During 1980s and in 1999, he said, the Sharif family members had paid taxes only in thousands of rupees.

Referring to making of cruise missile using ‘reverse engineering’, the information minister said Nawaz Sharif seemed out of mind by telling ‘certain state secrets’ on media in clear violation of his oath he had taken as prime minister.

He said scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan had severally stated on record that Nawaz Sharif never wanted to detonate nuclear devices after Indian tests. He stated that Jamaat-i-Islami leader Qazi Husain Ahmad had also organised a ‘million march’ to force Nawaz Sharif to conduct nuclear tests.

Mr Chohan said scientist Samar Mubarakmand had also lambasted Nawaz Sharif for his statement of making cruise missile using ‘reverse engineering’ of some damaged parts of missile.

The minister said the Sharif family had prepared corruption bomb, money-laundering bomb, nepotism bomb, fake-account bomb, and TT (telegraphic transfers) bomb.

In his own style of creating imaginary similes, Mr Chohan said the Sharif family had created ‘Institute of Corruption Sciences and Management’ (ICSM) and his family members were heading different departments to make money.

He said ‘absconder’ Nawaz Sharif had announced launching movement while sitting in London and asked poor Pakistanis to participate in rallies, protests and public meetings, while his sons and other family members were busy making money and enjoying a luxurious life in London.

The minister predicted that the PTI would win the upcoming Senate elections and a new era of effective legislation would begin. He said the government would complete its term and hopes that the people elect it for another term in 2023.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2020