Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s acquittal in the SSP Asmatullah Junejo attack case, saying those who should be punished are being acquitted.
“Those who should be punished are being acquitted and those who should be acquitted are being made to appear before court,” the former premier said while addressing reporters outside the accountability court hearing corruption cases against him. “It is a strange situation … those who built motorways and generated electricity have been disqualified,” he lamented. “The nation will decide in the upcoming general elections who should be disqualified and who is corrupt,” he added.
“They say they want to conduct free and fair elections but punished several of our party members for contempt of judiciary and who knows how many more they want to punish,” he said. “I am losing faith in the transparency of the upcoming elections,” he added. Taking a hit at PTI chief, the former prime minister said, “Imran said there will be a month’s delay in the upcoming general elections, a claim which has been made by two others before him.” “Imran’s comments of delay in elections came after his Lahore rally because he did not get a positive response and realised the nation will not vote for him,” he asserted. “Want to tell Imran that forget one month, we will not tolerate even a minute’s delay in the upcoming elections,” Nawaz said. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, meanwhile, said that the decision to acquit Imran Khan must have come from ‘above’.
Published in Daily Times, May 5th 2018.
