GUJRAT: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior vice-president Maryam Nawaz says Nawaz Sharif is getting justice at a snail’s pace but he is being labelled as a favourite.

Referring to the PML-N’s legal and political hurdles, she said Nawaz’s political journey was not easy as the former premier spent 11 years in exile, was allowed to contest just one election in last 22 years but he is still running from pillar to post in courts to fight ‘false’ cases.

“Doing injustice was easy but ending it was difficult in this country,” she said while addressing a party’s youth convention in Jalalpur Jattan town on Saturday.

“The people of Pakistan have pinned high hopes on Nawaz for their future which was evident from a rousing reception accorded to him by a massive crowd in the Oct 21 rally PML-N organised at the Minar-i-Pakistan to welcome the three-time prime minister upon his return,” she said and added she was in tears to see the homecoming of Nawaz about whom people commented “his politics is over”.

She said people want to see Nawaz Sharif as a PM because he strengthened Pakistan by constructing motorways, airports, power plants, brought foreign investment through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other infrastructural projects.

She said the facilities being given to PTI leader (Imran) in the jail on his demands should also be provided to all the prisoners without any discrimination. Maryam Nawaz also hit back at demands of level playing field by some political players, saying that she prays no one gets the same level playing field as her father Nawaz Sharif got.

“If you want a level playing field like Nawaz Sharif, then you should see what level playing field he has been given over the years. Do you want this level playing field?” Maryam asked while referring to the PML-N supremo’s years in exile and prison.

It was the PPP that had first blamed the caretaker government of extending favours to Nawaz and so are the courts as he’s been getting relief in his cases since his return to Pakistan on October 21 after spending four years in exile.

Criticizing the former prime minister and PTI leader Imran Khan, Maryam said that he was behind bars after telling so many lies. She said Nawaz was elected prime minister thrice but no corruption charges could be proved against him but the former PTI chairman committed a huge theft in his first stint as prime minister.

“The one who called Nawaz a thief was caught doing the biggest theft in history as Rs60 billion returned by the British government to Pakistan had been plundered by the then rulers,” Maryam said.

“He got the cabinet’s approval for a sealed envelope. He and his wife (Bushra) acquired lands through the Al Qadir Trust and when he was questioned, he came with a plaster on his foot and a bucket on his head,” she added.

Earlier, she was also given a rousing welcome at the Sialkot motorway Chowk in Sambrial by party workers from Sialkot on her way to Jalalpur Jattan.

Surprisingly, ex MNA Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul, ex-MPA Min Nawaz and party’s district president Tahirul Mulk were not invited to address the participants of youth convention despite being present at the stage since Mr Gul and Moin Nawaz have been the PML-N ticket holders in NA-63 and PP-30 (Jalalpur).

Only party’s Gujranwala division president Abid Raza Kotla and party’s coordinator for youth in Gujrat district Ali Warraich delivered their speeches in the presence of Maryam Nawaz.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2023