LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz, her grandmother and some other leaders of the party met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the Kot Lakhpat jail here on Thursday.

Mr Sharif was shifted to the Kot Lakhpat jail on Tuesday, a day after he was sentenced by the accountability court, Islamabad, to seven years imprisonment in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.

Mr Sharif reportedly comforted his mother, saying “she should not be worried about him as difficult times will be over soon”. His meeting with his mother and daughter lasted for more than two hours.

Since her release from jail on bail in the Avenfield corruption reference on Sept 19, this was perhaps the first time that Ms Maryam was captured by television cameras. She has kept a low profile since the day the accountability court sentenced her father to seven years in jail.

Returning from the visit, Ms Maryam tweeted: “I went to see MNS at Kotlakhpat jail today. He was Masha’Allah in high spirits. I asked him if he needed anything from home & and he said, ‘yes Kalsoom’s photos’.”

Senior party leaders, former speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and former federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Rana Tanvir Hussain also met Mr Sharif.

Talking to journalists outside the jail, Mr Sadiq predicted early release of Mr Sharif on bail. “We will file an application (in the high court) for the bail and hopefully he (Mr Sharif) will get it,” Mr Sadiq said

Expressing reservations on the verdict against the PML-N supremo, he claimed that in the court’s decision financial corruption of the three-time prime minister had not been proved.

Mr Iqbal claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s government had rendered half a million people jobless in its first 125 days in power.

“The damage caused by the Imran government in 125 days had never been done in 10 years,” he said.

Drawing a stark contrast between former and incumbent prime ministers Mr Sharif and Mr Khan, the PML-N leader said: “Nawaz Sharif, who made Pakistan strong on economic and defence fronts, is in jail while Imran Khan, who hatched a conspiracy against the progress of the country and made it a beggar, is premier.”

The people who had given votes to the PTI in the last election were also cursing it for its anti-people policies, he said and added the people had come to know that except targeting the PML-N and the opposition the government had no other agenda to pursue.

Mr Iqbal predicted that “this artificial” leadership would not last long. “The PTI has a very thin majority of five to six members in the National Assembly. However the PML-N is in no hurry to (topple it) and will give it a chance to fulfil the promises it had made with the people.”

In response to a question about a leadership crisis in the PML-N after imprisonment of both Mr Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, Mr Iqbal said: “Both leaders are in the country and the party is in contact with them.”

Political victimisation

Rana Tanvir Hussain said that his party was facing political victimisation. “Nawaz Sharif and his family are not getting justice. There is a dual standard when it comes to the cases of the PTI leaders,” he said and added “political revenge” was taken against the leadership of the PML-N.

The former federal minister said Mr Sharif had “strong reservations” against the verdict, but he had always respected judiciary. “Even when he was prime minister he appeared in court. He appeared before the accountability court for 165 days in different references,” he said.

When asked why the PML-N was not interested in agitation, Mr Hussain said: “We are fighting our cases in the court.”

Mr Sharif has been shifted to the Kot Lakhpat jail at his own request. Soon after the conviction in the Al-Azizia reference, his lawyers filed an application with the court requesting it to shift him (Mr Sharif) to the Kot Lakhpat jail instead of the Adiala jail as he was a heart patient and his personal physicians and family lived in Lahore. The court accepted his request.

Mr Sharif has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment (for seven years) along with a fine of Rs1.5 billion and $25 million in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills/ Hill Metal Establishment reference while he was acquitted in the Flagship Investment reference. The accountability court also barred him from holding public office for 10 years after completing the sentence.

Mr Sharif was earlier awarded 10 years jail on July 6 and sent to Adiala jail in the Avenfield property case along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz (seven years) and son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar (one year).

Later, the Islamabad High Court suspended their sentence and they were released on Sept 19 after spending 63 days in the prison.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2018