LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed PTI leader Imran Khan, who is incarcerated in Adiala Jail, wanted to provoke a clash between the people of Punjab led by the PML-N and the PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a ceremony in Lahore about the provincial government’s subsidised housing project, the PML-N president used an analogy of “Central Asian invaders” to make his point, but he did not name the PTI leader.

According to the elder Sharif, the PTI founder was purportedly behaving like the Central Asian raiders who used to attack Punjab in ancient times.

“You want to provoke a clash between KP and Punjab. You are behaving like the invaders from Central Asia who used to attack Punjab in ancient times. Instead of inciting the people of KP to invade Punjab, you should focus on serving them,” the PML-N chief said, adding that those who followed Khan blindly like “sheep and goats” should ask him what happened to the five million houses he promised during his tenure.

He also criticised the PTI’s poor governance in KP, saying: “His (Khan) performance was zero, and despite his party’s government in KP [for the third time], it has failed to meet the expectations of the people. Their only focus is on protests and street riots.”

Referring to Imran Khan’s statements during the 2014 sit-in, Sharif recalled: “He said he would drag me with a noose around my neck. Such arrogance! Learn humility and fear God. You reap what you sow.”

The diatribe targeting the PTI leader came almost a month after the PML-N president floated a proposal for an across-the-board dialogue to pull the country out of crises. However, his proposal didn’t gain much traction as the government ratcheted up the crackdown on the PTI after it held a public gathering in Sangjani, Islamabad. Following the intensified crackdown, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur took a strong stance, claiming that the ‘revolution’ had started and they would respond to bullets by the police with bullets.

‘Ouster from power’

The elder Sharif once again railed against judges who ousted him from power in the Panama Papers case in 2017.

“Five judges removed the prime minister of 250 million people because he didn’t take a salary of 10,000 dirhams from his son. What grave injustice! I still have Saqib Nisar’s leaked audio wherein he says, ‘We have to put Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in jail and bring Imran Khan to power.’ And what did he accomplish? Nothing. I was working; the country was progressing, so why did you have to remove me and what did you achieve?”

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Recalling his meeting with Imran Khan in 2014, Sharif said: “I went to Banigala and had a one-hour meeting with him. He agreed not to launch any agitation against my government, but then he went to London. When he returned, he started the sit-in. What did those sit-ins achieve?”

Nawaz Sharif also expressed disappointment with the establishment, stating that despite his good work, he was not treated fairly. He questioned why he was removed from office three times without being allowed to complete his tenure.

Maryam chides Imran

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who accompanied her father in the ceremony, said: “We are working hard here, but some people are busy spreading chaos. Has the person sitting in Adiala Jail (Imran Khan) ever said that the people of KP need better facilities?

“Has there ever been a message from jail saying, ‘Give them health cards’ — no, it’s always been, ‘set things on fire’. Political activity may be allowed, but terrorism is not.”

Indirectly addressing the PTI workers from KP, the CM said: “If you come for healthcare, jobs, or education, Punjab’s doors are open for you. But if you come to create chaos that’s something I won’t accept.”

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024