LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill has called the fake entry of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Covid-19 vaccination in Lahore a conspiracy against Pakistan and claimed that all the clues lead to PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz.

Speaking to the media at Governor House on Saturday, Dr Gill said Ms Nawaz in connivance with PML-N members Imran Nazir, Chaudhry Shahbaz and Naveed -- who is in Germany, orchestrated the whole episode of fake vaccination of Nawaz Sharif. “All the leads from Dawn Leaks to ‘vaccine leak’ point to Ms Maryam Nawaz’s involvement,” he alleged.

Claiming that Nawaz Sharif’s fake vaccination certificate was prepared to debase the data of vaccination in Pakistan, Dr Gill said those playing dirty politics did not think about the future of the country. Those hatching conspiracies against national security would be held accountable.

He further said a suspect Adil Rafique, an employee of Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, had been arrested, adding that PML-N MPA Chaudhry Shahbaz had got Rafique inducted to the hospital in 2015. Similarly, he said, another suspect, Abu-ul-Hassan, had been inducted in 2017. Both the suspects were arrested and detained at Gujjarpura police station. He claimed the third suspect, Naveed, would soon be arrested from Germany, adding that the Federal Investigation Agency would also probe the arrested men.

PML-N says PTI govt depends on ex-PM’s name to survive, hide its follies

Dr Gill said the PML-N provided the fake vaccination news to the media, while Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid had exposed it. He regretted that Maryam highlighted the fake vaccination entry that the Indian media picked up to bash Pakistan.

Responding to Dr Gill’s presser, PML-N Punjab spokesperson Azma Bokhari tweeted that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) pitiable government depended on the name of Nawaz Sharif to survive and hide its follies. Every Lahorite would vote and support the PML-N. She also asked: “Whom will you blame for 16 fake vaccination entries and registration of eight cases in different cities of Punjab?”

“The country is already bearing the brunt of fake entries of fake people,” she concluded, in an apparent reference to the PML-N’s stance about the ‘selected government’.

Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal was told in a briefing on Friday that the Punjab government had arrested 16 officials and registered 12 cases in eight cities on charges of fake entries of coronavirus vaccine administration. The entries were found in Sialkot, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Lodhran, Lahore, Faisalabad, Chiniot and Multan.

SAPM Dr Gill told the media that he would soon expose the Sasta Bazaar Company scandal and how the Sharif family continued using the company’s assets and employees.

Claiming that Shehbaz Sharif had said he was unaware of financial transactions from his account, Dr Gill said the situation had become so precarious that the father did not acknowledge his son and the son did not recognise his father.

The special assistant said the PTI government had amended the Toshakhana law and now the official, who receives a gift, could retain it by paying 50 per cent of the gift’s price.

Speaking about the government’s efforts to check the coronavirus pandemic, he said everyone, including the federal cabinet, wanted a complete lockdown immediately, but only Prime Minister Imran Khan took a stand and decided to go for smart lockdowns to ensure that people continued earning their livelihoods. He claimed the world ranked Pakistan among the top five countries that fought the pandemic well.

Answering a question, Dr Gill clarified that the PTI was facing a prohibited funding case that the PML-N portrayed as foreign funding. He said the maximum punishment in such a case would be returning of the prohibited funding.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2021