LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz, the Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Friday dismissed allegations of engaging in revenge politics against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), questioning the accusers whether it was her party that had called for an attack on the state on May 9 or waved a cypher during a rally.
“Those who are hurling allegations of revenge and a level playing field at us should tell, was it Nawaz Sharif who told you to wave the cypher, attack the state on May 9, attack policemen, hold fake intra-party elections, or set fire to the memorials of martyrs,” Maryam said during her address in a rally in Khanewal while responding to allegations hurled by former ruling party PTI’s leadership.
The cypher case pertains to a piece of paper that Imran had waved at a public rally on March 27, 2022, ahead of a vote of confidence that he lost.
The former prime minister, later naming the US, had claimed that the cypher was ‘evidence’ of an “in-ternational conspiracy” to topple his government.
Addressing concerns about rising inflation, Maryam dismissed the notion that economic hardships had deterred the support for the PML-N, adding that there was no political party in a position to challenge PML-N in the political arena at the moment.
Recounting her own experiences, she added, “I faced arrest, learned of my mother’s death in jail, and spent years in jail, yet I did not let my father’s head bow down.”
Maryam said that the unwavering support of the people, especially from Khanewal, made his father former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s return possible. “Ups and downs are part of politics but true leaders and political workers never retreat but remain on the front lines like tigers,” she added.
She extended her gratitude to the party workers, saying, “I salute the commitment of our party work-ers who have stood firm in the face of challenges.”
