No electoral symbol for terrorist: Maryam

OKARA/QAMBAR SHAHDADKOT: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz Monday termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) a group of terrorists, who attacked the military installations on May 9 last year.

Addressing the first public meeting in connection with her election campaign at Football Ground Okara, she said: “A terrorist group could not be given a political party’s electoral symbol. Your electoral symbol should be a watch that you stole, or the petrol bomb that you hurled at the police officials,” she said, adding “what goes around comes around”.

“If you ask for petrol bomb as the election symbol, we would instruct the Election Commission to allot you this symbol to let you continue your activities,” she added.

Maryam said: “Your electoral symbol was not bat, but a baton, with which you attacked military installations.

“The baton has been snatched from your hands,” she added. She said people should remember that nature forgives sin but not tyranny. “Bat was not an election symbol for the PTI; it was a baton in its hands to beat and coerce its opponents,” she added.

Severely criticising former prime minister Imran Khan, Maryam the one who used to call others thieves himself stole watches from Toshakhana. Referring to an alleged phone call by the mother-in-law of former chief justice Umar Ata Bandial to him regarding a case proceeding, which went viral later on, Maryam said: “The facility to get (desired) verdicts by calling (judge’s) mother-in-law is not available anymore.” She said they should ask their lawyers to appear in courts fully prepared, as decisions would be made under the law now, and not on phone calls of the ‘mother-in-law’.

The PMLN leader said they would have thought they could win an election like in 2018 by shutting down the RTS button. The facility was no longer available, she said and added that his umpires and forgery both had been exposed.

Asking the rally’s participants to vote for the PMLN, she said: “You have to stamp the lion symbol on election day. Stamp on lion symbol on February 8 to make the country rich. Our government’s entire focus will be on cutting inflation. My main focus will be on improving youth’s future.”

In her address, she questioned the people whether petrol, gas, sugar, bread, electricity was cheaper during former premier Nawaz Sharif’s government or not?

She mentioned the name of Chaudhry Riazul Haq Judge, former MNA and incumbent candidate from NA-136, and termed him an expert in agriculture and industry. She expressed gratitude to Riazul Haq and his colleague ticket-holders in the district for arranging such a big public meeting.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accused the PMLN of resorting to rigging tactics ahead of the February-8 general election.

As both political bigwigs eyeing the office of the prime minister, the PPP chairman blamed the Nawaz Sharif-led party for gradually side-lining its political opponents in a bid to come into power without having any electoral competition.

“Nawaz-League doesn’t want to do fair politics but it wants to play alone by ousting all political opponents from the pitch,” Bilawal said while addressing a press conference in Qambar Shahdadkot on Monday.

He alleged that some PPP candidates had not been allotted ‘arrow’ electoral sign by the returning officer (RO) after being pressurised by the Nawaz-led party. He said an MNA candidate from Chakwal, the candidates from PP-20, PP-21, NA-59 Talagang, PP-119 Toba Tek Singh, NA-122 Lahore were not given the arrow symbol. “Of the five provincial assembly seats below the constituency, I am contesting from NA-127. Fayyaz Bhatti has also been denied the arrow symbol,” he said, adding that the tactics were adopted by the ROs under pressure from the PMLN. Bilawal announced approaching the Election Commission and courts to challenge the decisions.

“We will fight with unwavering determination and courage. People support us; we will form the government by thwarting the fourth-time prime minister conspiracy,” he vowed. “In Punjab, the PMLN is trying to take benefit of recent developments against the PTI,” Bilawal said, while referring to the SC verdict that cost the Imran-led party ‘bat’ symbol. He said the Nawaz-League was bent on targeting the PPP in Punjab after the PTI.

Prior to his media talk, Bilawal asked the PPP workers to strongly resist and thwart conspiracies being hatched by the PMLN. He reiterated his opinion against any further delay in holding nationwide polls and said: “If some people are still thinking to see a delay in conduct of polls, or try to run away from the electoral battle, then they would face a big loss.”

The PPP chairman backed the top court verdict which went against the former ruling party, which rose to power in 2018. He said his party would not favour any move to deprive a political party of its electoral symbol, but PTI had not conducted its intra-party polls in letter and spirit.

Bilawal also praised the top judge Qazi Faez Isa’s verdicts since he assumed the charge as the chief justice of Pakistan. He said Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa gave a legal decision in PTI electoral symbol case, and not a political one. “The Chief Justice could have given a political decision if he wanted, but he broke the tradition,” he said.

He said PTI’s lawyers did not provide the court with evidence of intra-party election and expulsion of members. “The PTI workers should examine themselves instead of blaming the court,” he said.

PPP Women Wing Central President Faryal Talpur, PPP Sindh chapter President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and other leaders were also present. The PPP chairman was accorded an unprecedented welcome by the Jiyalas and people in Qambar Shahdadkot.