ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan Mus­lim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday took a swipe at PTI chief Imran Khan over his ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’, asking why supporters of the former prime minister should go to jail for his wrongdoings.

She was speaking at a workers’ convention here, during a one-day trip to the city, in a bid to re-organise the ruling party in the Hazara region.

Speaking about the ‘court arrest’ movement, the PML-N chief organiser said Imran Khan was afraid of going to jail, which was why he was asking supporters to launch the movement.

“Farah [Khan] should be arrested first for plundering millions. His wife (Bushra Bibi) received expensive rings […] she should be arrested first,” Dawn.com quoted her as saying. Ms Sharif termed the movement a ‘Jaib Bharo Tehreek’ (pocket-filling movement) and said that Mr Khan lined his pockets during his time in power, but wanted his workers to go to jail.

In a jibe at Imran Khan for claiming to have knowledge of a murder conspiracy, allegedly hatched against him by an opposition leader, Ms Sharif said the PTI chairman has, time and again, accused different people of hatching conspiracies to murder him.

PML-N leader blames PTI chief for spending money on ‘own security’ rather than equipping KP law enforcers

“Why do you think you are so important that everyone is planning to kill you? First, he said an American conspiracy ousted his government but apologised to them. Then he blamed Asif Ali Zardari for planning to kill him and yesterday he blamed the agencies,” Dawn.com quoted Ms Sharif as saying.

She also took potshots at the former premier for using his leg injury to skip court proceedings. She said Imran Khan would not waste a minute in removing his plaster and da­­s­hing to Rawalpindi if he is summo­ned to “remove” the government.

Imran Khan will have to account for his “sins and wrongdoings whe­t­her he hides” in Zaman Park or in Ba­­nigala, she said, asking party wor­kers and the general public to cast their votes in favour of the PML-N for the revival of the economy.

Ms Sharif expressed her shock on the tragic bombing at Police Lines in Peshawar, which resulted in the deaths of over 80 people. She said it was the fault of the security agencies, which could not thwart the terrorist attack.

However, Ms Sharif blamed former prime minister Imran Khan for his failure to equip the law enforcement agencies in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and said that instead of improving law enforcement, the money was spent on the security of Imran Khan.

In a comment on the remarks made by PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi about former PM Nawaz Sharif, Ms Sharif said the “leader of the gang who ousted Nawaz Sharif was Imran Khan”.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2023