SARGODHA: Launch­ing a searing attack on four sitting and retired judges and a former general on Thursday, PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz held them responsible for the current political and economic crises in Pakistan.

“PTI Chairman Imran Khan was not ousted from power as a result of any intrigue but, in fact, Nawaz Sharif was ousted through an intrigue by a gang of five comprising a general and four judges,” she said while addressing party workers here.

“The remains of this gang are again planning to bring Imran back who was democratically expelled from power. I will expose the judiciary supporting him and will never hesitate in facing consequences of doing so,” she vowed.

“Today, I will tell the nation the real conspiracy that took place against Nawaz Sharif. The people of Sargodha should also see the ones behind the conspiracy”

When she said so, a combo of five pictures appeared on a large TV screen installed there.

The pictures were of former ISI chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed, former chief justices Asif Khosa and Saqib Nisar and two sitting SC judges, who are currently part of a nine-member bench hearing a suo motu case to determine who had the constitutional responsibility to announce the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Those visible on the screen are responsible for Pakistan’s crisis,” she said, alleging that “the ex-ISI chief acted as a de facto army chief and headed this gang.”

Maryam claimed since Hameed wanted to become the army chief, he needed a pawn. “Since Nawaz Sharif could never be his pawn, he chose Imran Khan, the watch thief.”

She said one of the two serving judges was part of the bench that disqualified Nawaz Sharif in the Panama case. Since then, he has been part of every bench taking up cases against Nawaz and his party .

The PML-N chief organiser claimed that when Imran’s 2014 sit-in failed, Justice Asif Khosa had told the PTI chief to bring the Panama case before him so that Nawaz could be disqualified.

She said that at a time when the PTI’s long march had failed and when Imran had dissolved the two provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP, the two sitting judges had taken it upon themselves to bring him back into power.

The ex-ISI chief, she added, was “still sitting somewhere and operating. He is not not making these moves out of his love for Imran, but was doing so in fear of the wrongdoings he had committed during the last five years.”

Maryam also played the audio purportedly featuring former Punjab chief minister Elahi and one of the top court judges.

“Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial sahab, the people of Sargodha know that bench fixing is taking place, why are you not aware?”

Maryam questioned how the two sitting judges hearing the Lahore capital city police officer transfer cases suddenly landed on the elections issue and then became part of the larger bench. She asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan whether he had constituted an impartial bench? Why he ignored the audio against a sitting judge?

The PML-N leader said even the country’s bar councils had protested against the inclusion of the two judges in the bench.

She said the PTI chief who was not appearing before the courts on the “pretext of plaster on his leg had always made fun of Nawaz Sharif’s illness. She lamented that no one had been given as much leniency as Imran Khan was given by the judiciary.Federal minister Rana Sanaullah also addresed the convention.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2023