LAHORE – Political escalation looms as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is going to launch a protest against the government outside the Punjab Assembly over the arrest of party president Shehbaz Sharif in an alleged housing scheme-related scam.
The formal decision was announced after the deadline given by the PML-N to the PTI-led federal and provincial government in Punjab to summon the session over the arrest expired.
The protest outside the provincial assembly will be led by Rana Muhammad Iqbal where members of the PML-N and other political parties will protest the “unjustified” arrest of the NA’s Leader of the Opposition.
Meanwhile, the PML-N has expedited contact with the opposition parties in the center to give a tough time to the incumbent government. A protest against the arrest will be held outside the lower house of the parliament on Oct 11.
PML-N’s Deadline
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who jumped into to political arena after four months following the arrest of his brother Shehbaz Sharif by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Monday chaired an ’emergency meeting’ of the Central Executive Committee of the party.
Embattled Nawaz, who along with his family is under the NAB’s radar for previous several months, termed the arrest of the PML-N president a political revenge and alleged that the arrest was made at the behest of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The CEC urged the government to call sessions in the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly over the arrest of the Leader of the Opposition by Tuesday (today).
Talking to reporters after the meeting, PML-N’s MNA Rana Sanaullah warned that the party would stage protests outside the assemblies in Islamabad and Lahore on Wednesday if the session were not called, adding that the demonstration would not be confined to the assemblies if no attention was paid to the PML-N’s demand.
Different resolution were passed in the emergency meeting, where former first daughter Maryam Nawaz was not present, condemning the threatening tone of PM Imran Khan in a recently held press conference in Lahore. The words used by Khan are not worthy of a prime minister, the meeting said.
In one of the resolution, the major opposition party slammed the government for increasing gas and power tariff that has put extra burden on an ordinary citizen.
The PML-N also asked the government to carefully handle the CPEC projects as China is all-weather and time tested friend.
The decision to hold a key meeting came a day after an accountability court sent the PML-N president on 10-day remand in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for interrogation in Rs14 billion Ashiayana Housing scheme scam.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/nab-to-produce-shehbaz-sharif-in-court-today/
Nawaz, who was released from Adiala Jail after two month after the Islamabad High Court suspended the conviction by an accountability court in the Avenfield case, has been forced to resume the political activities to boost the morale of the party workers and supporters, some party leaders claimed.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/ihc-to-announce-much-awaited-verdict-on-sharifs-petition-against-avenfield-reference-conviction/
On July 6, the accountability court had sentenced Nawaz to 10 years in prison for owning assets beyond known sources of income in the Avenfield reference. His daughter Maryam was also awarded 7 years and son-in-law Capt Safdar one year sentence for abetment.
