LAHORE: PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said the NAB has become a weapon of political engineering.
While talking to media in Model Town, he said the NAB investigation is only being done to humiliate political opponents and Maryam Nawaz was called to put pressure on the opposition. He said the members of Punjab and National Assemblies, ticket-holders and workers will arrive outside the NAB office on March 26 at 10am to express solidarity with their leader.
He warned if the administration repeats the previous incident, the responsibility for the situation will lie with the NAB chairman. He said deliberations are going on between the PPP and the PML-N. He said nine parties are united in resigning and dismissing the government.
Criticizing the NAB, he alleged that the NAB is sending notices to political opponents of the government. He alleged that the NAB has become a hotbed of corruption. Answering a question about what the PML-N has planned to do outside the NAB office, he said PML-N leaders and workers will go there to express solidarity with their leader and remain peaceful. He said the NAB has become a tool of Shehzad Akbar. He said if the NAB arrests Maryam against its illegal notice, the party will protest.
Answering a question, he said it was not the workers who started pelted stones but it was the police which initiated violence at the behest of Shehzad Akbar. He said Maulana Fazlur Rehman as the PDM chief has invited all parties to reach the NAB office on March 26.
Meanwhile, to express solidarity with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has decided to show its full strength outside the NAB office in Lahore on Friday (March 26).
The decision was taken in a meeting held at the party secretariat in Model Town here on Monday. Hamza Shahbaz chaired the meeting while Ahsan Iqbal, Pervez Rashid, Malik Pervez, Rana Mashhood, Rana Mubashir, Margoob Ahmed, Mehr Ishtiaq, Malik Saif Khokhar, Abid Raza Kotla, Malik Riaz and others participated in the meeting. During consultations, the party leaders finalized a plan to gather outside the NAB office during the visit of Maryam Nawaz. It was decided that all PML-N members of National and Provincial Assemblies, ticket-holders and local body representatives from across Punjab should be present outside the NAB office on Friday with their maximum strength to express solidarity with Maryam. The meeting discussed the over political situation including the call-up notice to Maryam and by-election in Daska.
Party sources said the meeting decided that Maryam Nawaz will go to the NAB office in a rally from Jati Umrah. The party members from Lahore were asked to gather at Jati Umrah with full strength. These members will start coming to Jati Umrah on Thursday night so that they could accompany their leader. A camp will be set up outside Jati Umrah where the workers and local leaders will sit. The sources said an audio system will be installed at the camp where party songs will be played while tea and dinner will be served to workers.
The party sources added that Maryam Nawaz will leave for the NAB office in the form of a rally and all the central leadership will accompany her. It was communicated to all regional party leaders, parliamentarians, ticket-holders and workers to reach Lahore a day or two before Friday to avoid blockage of entry points of the city by the police. The party workers were directed to bring bottles of water and towels with them in case the police fire teargas on them. Female leaders and workers were given the task to bring female party workers outside the NAB office.
The leaders of PDM parties will also be present outside the NAB office to express solidarity with Maryam Nawaz.