After PM Shehbaz, Maryam Nawaz flays CJP's remarks about lawmakers

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday took exception to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial for his remarks regarding the "jail terms" some parliamentarians had served.

On March 31, during the hearing of the election delay case in the apex court, CJP Bandial said that the parliament had people "who were till yesterday in captivity, imprisoned, declared traitors" and now they talk like respectable individuals because they were elected representatives.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also come down hard on these observations by the chief justice in a hard-hitting speech at the floor of the National Assembly.

"When the parliamentarians were talking about the Constitution and the law, you taunted them", Maryam said while addressing a lawyers' convention in Rawalpindi flanked by federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Rana Sanaullah and Marriyum Aurangzeb. 

The PML-N leader who is also the party's chief organiser asked only if he knew "what an honour" it was to go to jail for a cause. The path to truth is never easy, she added.

Referring to her imprisonment, Maryam said that she was in Adiala Jail for 5 months, but the chief justice did not get emotional at that time.

Moving on to arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Maryam said that the ex-chief of Inter-Services Intelligence General (retd) Faiz Hameed was the biggest facilitator of the former premier.

She said that as the former military man had hung his boots now, his remnants were still facilitating Khan.

Continuing the criticism of the PTI chief, Maryam said that his wife directed the PTI's digital media team lead Arsalan Khalid to link everyone with the treason when the former premier staged the "cipher drama".

She stated that PML-N leaders served the sentences given unjustly but they appeared before the courts.

"Only those whose hands are clean do this," said Maryam.

She asked if "Pinky pirni" (Bushra Bibi) wasn't a public holder then why she [Maryam] and Justice Isa's wife Sarina Isa were treated like public office holders.

Maryam further slammed Khan for not declaring Tyrian White as his daughter.

"When a prime minister can be disqualified over an Iqama, then why couldn't another prime minister be disqualified over such a big lie," she asked.

She said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had gone to jail in a false case while the PTI chief was getting bail in dozens of cases.