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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the nation on Wednesday night and launched a scathing attack against ousted Prime Minister and PTI chief Imran Khan.
Pakistan PM Sharif said that the respect for law means fighting for justice in the court. "Harming the government and private property is terrorism. This is sheer anti-nationalism. The powerful and the weak all are equal before the law," Shehbaz Sharif said in his address. He said that PTI chief Imran Khan is arrested in a corruption case and all proofs of corruption are present which the NAB is investigating. He said that 190 million Pounds or 60 billion Pakistan Rupees were passed in sealed covers. "When the issue is of the national treasury of PKR 60 billion then does Islam, law and democracy, can anyone permit that the culprit refuses to face law and court," he asked a rhetorical question. He said that as a political figure, he cannot express joy when anyone gets arrested as he has also faced this multiple times. Sharif said, "In such a situation, the culprit has to ask his supporters to maintain peace. He has to make sure that he doesn't let them cross the line of law. He should contribute to the security of government and private property and public life." "But, Imran and PTI did not just break the law but caused harm to public and private property and committed an unforgivable act of anti-nationalism," Sharif said citing the ongoing violence in Pakistan since Tuesday that erupted after Imran's arrest. Sharif said that Pakistan has never seen such scenes in the last 75 years. Ambulances were set on fire after dragging people out. "He (Imran Khan) did the malign act of provoking a few hundred against Pakistan. The heart of the whole nation has been wounded. The protestors did what the real enemies of Pakistan could not do in the last 75 years," Sharif said. He said that Islamabad High Court (IHC) took notice of Imran's arrest and declared it lawful. This means NAB acted according to the law. He also thanked the NAB, police, rangers and all protectors of the law in Pakistan. Warning the protestors, Sharif said, "I warn them (protestors) to look after their activities and stop the anti-nationalism otherwise they would be handled accordingly." He also said that Pakistan's political situation has been tense and revengeful actions in politics have never given positive results. "Political parties have learnt lessons from the past and dumped revenge in politics and worked for the people of the country. This spirit and thought were behind us when we took responsibility of the nation on 11 April. We never behaved maliciously with our political opponents as Imran did in his tenure of four years," he said in his address. "In the last 4 years, faces were seen instead of cases to see whom to be sent to jail and whom to be lenient with. He used to announce that XYZ would be arrested tomorrow and they got arrested the next day. He used to say one more wicket would drop and it used to drop the next day. Just a mere allegation was enough to get one arrested and no one was there to take notice," Shehbaz Sharif said alleging Imran's targetted legal actions against his opponents. According to the old NAB law, anyone could be detained for 90 days and bail was impossible, Sharif said. Pakistan PM said, "We amended this atrocious NAB law. The remand period was reduced to 15 days from 90. And the first beneficiary of the NAB law is Imran Khan himself." Sharif said that he and his political companions are still serving hearings in NAB. "The allegations against us are not proven yet. Not just Pakistan, Britain was also made to investigate. 40-year-old records were searched. Britain's national crime agency gave us a clean chit," he said. "But we never refrained from facing law and court. We kept attending the hearings despite our objections," Sharif added. (ANI)
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