—– Terms £190 million corruption case, involving Khan, ‘biggest corruption scandal in Pakistan’s history’
—– Adds he did not return to the country only to form a government but also wants accountability
—– Says country suffered due to political vicitmisation
—– Avers “our party leaders were put behind bars in false cases”
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that his pursuit was not for power but to hold accountable those responsible for fabricating fake cases against him that led to his removal as prime minister in 2017.
“This [accountability] was necessary so that the truth can be known to the people and justice can prevail,” he said while addressing the PML-N parliamentary board meeting in Lahore.
Nawaz termed the £190 million corruption case, which also involved former prime minister Imran Khan, the “biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country”. Taking a dig at Imran Khan, the PML-N supreme leader deplored that one who had called others thieves turned out to be the “biggest thief himself”.
“Someone who used to talk about ‘Riasat-e-Madina’ was devoid of morality,” Nawaz said, referring to Imran. Nawaz said that good and bad times are part of life and that the PML-N, despite facing injustices, had not abandoned the cloak of patience.
The former three-time prime minister said that he desired to pull Pakistan out of the existing difficulties and bring the country back on the path of progress.
He remarked that those who were aspiring to join politics should only join to steer the country on the path of development by taking practical steps in politics with the commitment to change the fate of the people.
He viewed that if there was a passion for service, the destiny of the country would surely change.
Lamenting on the discontinuity of democratically elected prime ministers not completing their five-year tenure in the last 75 years since the creation of Pakistan, Nawaz said that it was quite unfortunate to see that “games” were played to de-throne political governments.
Again referring to Imran, Nawaz said that the “player” did not know anything about the economy and international relations.
Nawaz claimed that during a cabinet meeting, Imran Khan, then prime minister, allegedly pressured his ministers to approve an agreement with the UK’s National Crime Agency on the repatriation and legalisation of illegal proceeds, without disclosing its contents.
This he was talking about in the context of the Al-Qadir trust case filed by National Accountability Bureau, implicating Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and other accused in a graft case of allegedly obtaining monetary favours and other benefits of legalising illegal proceeds during the PTI government.
Recalling his ouster as the prime minister and subsequent disqualification in the Panama case, he lamented that he was removed from the premiership because he did not disclose the received salary from his son before the Election Commission of Pakistan in annual returns. This, he said, was a travesty of justice and atrocity against him.
