MUHAMMAD SALEEM
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif Tuesday announced to launch “Justice Movement (Adl Tehreek)” to ensure provision of speedy justice across the board in real sense. While addressing the PML-N social media activists’ convention here at Model Town on Tuesday, Nawaz said: “Time has come to launch “Adl (justice) Tehreek for justice for all.” He said provision of cheap and speedy justice to all was part of the PML-N manifesto in 2013 but they could not make progress over it due to sit-ins and conspiracies against the PML-N government.
He said: “The time has come to raise the flag for the supremacy of justice. Our history shows that all those dictators which came into power were legitimized by the courts.” Even a dictator was allowed to amend the constitution, he said.
He recalled that he had previously run a campaign for the supremacy of the judiciary in 2009. “Those who call me as a coward are the ones who left and hid in Rawalpindi when the time came for fighting for the judiciary’s supremacy,” he said.
“A grandson is facing cases of a grandfather,” he wondered.
Nawaz claimed that the country’s economic situation had worsened after the Panamagate verdict, pointing towards the dropping forex reserves and decrease in GDP as evidence of his claims. He also mentioned infrastructural projects being constructed under his government that he was not sure would be completed next year after the election.
The PML-N head lamented that Pervez Musharraf broke the constitution but his case is still pending in the courts. “But they gave verdict against us within few weeks.” He said: “The PML-N will have a historic win in the 2018 elections.”
Questioning his disqualification by the Supreme Court, Nawaz said: “Have you ever heard that a leader has been disqualified because he did not receive a salary from his son? A ladla (dear one) has been excused despite admitting his crime,” Nawaz said while referring to Imran Khan. He said throughout the world people have the right to elect a government of their own choice but this is not the case in Pakistan. “Pakistan is a country where offshore companies of some are “halal” and others are haram (illegal).
“Will any court in this country hold Pervez Musharraf accountable for his crimes?” he asked. “A day will come when the traitor will face the trail. There is no room in the country for those who violate the constitution and remove democratically-elected government. I faced all conspiracies but did not compromise on supremacy of the constitution.”
“When Imran Khan accepts that they [the off-shore companies] are his assets, the judges say ‘No, these are not your assets,” he claimed. “Thankfully they have not said that these are not yours [Imran Khan’s] assents but Nawaz Sharif’s.”
Criticizing Imran further, Nawaz said the PTI Chairman loses elections and then goes for ways to bring down an elected government and prime minister. “Imran will be clean bowled during the 2018 elections. You will not be able to win the elections,” claimed Nawaz.
Pointing out the development work undertaken during his government, the PML-N President said he delivered on his promises. “In 2013, I had promised to eliminate loadshedding and fulfilled this commitment. Today, there is more electricity than demand.”
Nawaz said: “We eliminated terrorism over the past four years. Cricket returned to Lahore and international cricket would also revive soon.”
Referring to his GT Road rally, Nawaz said the people had promised him that they would stand for the sanctity of ballot and he was hopeful to see the youth promising the same during the convention.
Addressing the convention, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz said Nawaz Sharif is attacked because he standsby an ideology which rejects adulteration in democracy. Explaining the ideology of Nawaz Sharif, she said, “There can be no doctrine of necessity in the ideology of democracy. As per the ideology, two, three or five people cannot impose their decision on 200 million people.”
“Nobody can minus the person that you plus,” Maryam said, referring to her father’s disqualification from public office.
Maryam claimed that Nawaz faced difficulties because he chose the ‘right’ thing to do over what was ‘easy’ when confronted with the choice following his disqualification.
She appreciated the role of PML-N’s social media team which, she said, grew from four people in 2013 to several thousand across the country as of today. “There is no comparison of the key role played by social media in taking Nawaz Sharif’s message to every home,” Maryam told the emotionally charged crowd.
She requested Nawaz Sharif to take strict action whenever the party’s social media activists are threatened or attacked in future. She also announced the launch of a PML-N official mobile application for Android and iOS which would enable party members to connect with their elected representatives.
