RAWALPINDI: In light of a leaked audio clip which purportedly featured a conversation between former chief minister Parvez Elahi and a Sup­reme Court judge, PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz on Sunday asked for accountability in the judiciary and said Pakistan needed “honest jud­ges” instead of the ones who allegedly favoured Imran Khan.

Addressing a workers convention in Rawalpindi, the PML-N senior vice president said that judges named in the audio leak should have “moral courage” to resign from their post.

Ms Nawaz said the entire judiciary was not lopsided but there were only some judges in the judiciary who were allegedly biased. “Imran Khan is looking to get support from the judiciary to come back to power after failing to get support from the establishment,” she alleged.

She claimed there were some followers of former spymaster retired General Faiz Hameed in the judiciary and they needed to be held “accountable”.

Ms Nawaz targeted the superior judiciary days after an audio clip surfaced featuring conversations between Mr Elahi and a judge of the top court. This clip invited strong criticism from superior bar councils and also prompted a meeting of the SC judges to take stock of the situation.

The PML-N leader also talked about an audio clip wherein PTI leader Yasmin Rashid was purportedly asking ex-Lahore police chief Ghulam Mehmood Dogar about the status of his reinstatement following a court order.

PML-N leader says economy will take years to recover

‘Special treatment to Imran’

During the convention, Ms Nawaz questioned the “special treatment” meted out to PTI Chairman Imran Khan in cases pending against him in courts.

In contrast, Nawaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders were summoned at an hour’s notice, she claimed. She said Imran Khan alleged PML-N had launched a drive against the judiciary but audio leaks of the PTI negated his own claims.

Ms Nawaz, in light of the leaked clip featuring ex-CCPO Dogar, taunted Imran Khan and said that the day Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah decided to arrest him, Dogar will not be able to save him.

She said that Imran Khan launched only one project in Rawalpindi which was the Rawalpindi Ring Road project but “he started this to make money”. She claimed Imran Khan got “loans worth Rs24,000 billion, but did not spend a single penny no development in Rawalpindi”.

‘IMF minefield’

Speaking about economy, Ms Nawaz said that economy would take years to mend and demanded accountability of Imran Khan for laying down the “IMF minefield” and pushing the country’s economy to the brink of collapse.

The PML-N leader said the PTI has no projects to show for their performance, therefore they used the crutches of the establishment. “Now that those crutches are gone, Imran is trying to use the judiciary,” she alleged.

“The PML-N is not afraid of general elections because it believed in coming to power through a political process. It will not just be contesting the polls but winning them as well. The PML-N will save the country, pull it out of the difficulties, and put Pakistan on the path to progress,” she vowed.

Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the country was facing difficult times but the government will soon solve the problems and put it on the development track.

He said that PML-N paid a political price to save the country and it would soon bring good news for the people.Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that PTI and its chief Imran Khan wanted to spread chaos and destabilise the economy.

In a comment on the ‘Jail Bharo’ movement, he said the government would throw Imran Khan and his core team in jail while the common supporters would be released.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2023