Zardari abusing me to please someone else, claims Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday appeared before the accountability court in an anti-corruption trial.

In an informal discussion with reporters in the courtroom, Nawaz said former president Asif Ali Zardari was using foul language against him to appease someone else.  “Now is the time for all democratic forces to get united instead of appeasing someone else,” he said.

Nawaz said there was no imminent NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) and those who had signed it previously should be asked about it. He said he supported an independent judiciary and was against those judges who had garlanded military dictators.

On November 2, a division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set aside the accountability court’s October 19 orders through which it had dismissed Nawaz's application for merger of three corruption references into one and joint framing of charges.

The IHC bench had directed the accountability court to hear the application afresh in the light of Section 17-D of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999. On Friday, Nawaz Sharif’s legal counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed contended before the accountability court judge that adjudication of joint charges application was necessary and the court may adjourn the hearing to hear arguments on the next date of hearing.

NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi pleaded that the court had already heard arguments on the application and they were ready to discuss the issue once again. Haris, however, contended that the IHC’s detailed orders were yet to come so the hearing may be adjourned till the IHC order was issued. 

Accepting Khawaja Haris Ahmed’s request, the judge adjourned the hearing till November 7. Nawaz also submitted two surety bonds of Rs5 million each in the Avenfield and Flagship Investments corruption references while his two personal guarantors, Waqar Ahmed and Amir Shehzad, also appeared before the court. 

Signing the surety bonds, Nawaz was reluctant to stamp his thumb impression saying he would have to wash his hand.  On insistence of Dr Fazal Chaudhry, he stamped his thumb. On November 3, NAB had got Nawaz's signatures on surety bonds in connection with his non-bailable arrest warrants.

Sitting beside his daughter Maryam and Pervaiz Rasheed in the courtroom, Nawaz had an informal discussion with the reporters. Asked what he had felt on November 3 while appearing before a court when a military dictator imposed emergency in the country on the same date in 2007, Nawaz said: “I can't understand what these cases are and why I am facing the court proceedings. Even the Supreme Court has said that this is not a case of corruption, kickbacks or commission. Someone should tell me what and why these cases have been made against me.

"It appears that I have been penalised for eradicating power loadshedding, putting economy on the right track, jacking up the foreign exchange reserves, expediting development projects, decreasing corruption, restoring peace in Karachi and eliminating terrorism."

Nawaz told reporters that whatever was happening was before them.  The ex-PM said he was removed on the basis of Iqama despite the fact that he had made the country a nuclear power.

Asked if he considered November 3 a black day in the history of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif said there were many black days in the 70-year history of Pakistan but the question was whether the nation had learnt any lesson. 

About the technocrat government, he said people had been hearing such things for the last 70 years. He said there were thousands of cases in the accountability courts but there was no 'Super Judge' in any case. “Then why there is a 'Super Judge' in my case,” he questioned. 

He said the whole world was witnessing who was committing contempt of court and who was damaging credibility of the judiciary. “All these references were formed against our family business when I was not even in politics. I was a student then. I have raised 12 questions in the lawyers’ convention in Lahore that still remain unanswered,” he said.

When told that a judge of high court was seeking his open trial in the Supreme Judicial Council, Nawaz Sharif said now there was no option other than open trials.  “Nothing should be secret and when there will be open trials, then the country will progress. Once this process has started, it will not stop but march ahead.”

Answering a question about his policy of collision, Sharif said: “Do we collide all the time and nobody else collides with us?” About the trial’s completion in six months, Nawaz said he did not know what they wanted to get from the cases in this short span of time. 

Responding to a question about the importance of the month of March and why it worried other political parties, Nawaz in a lighter vein said: “I don't know whenever there is our government in place marches get started.”

To a question, he said there was no friction in the family. He said some outsiders wanted to create a rift in the family but they would not succeed in their designs. The accountability court is hearing three corruption references against Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar pertaining to Avenfield Apartments, London, Azizia Steel Company/Hill Metal Establishment and Flagship Investments.

Prominent PML-N leaders including Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Pervaiz Rasheed, Tariq Fatemi, Maryam Aurangzeb, Daniyal Aziz, Talal Chaudhry, Mian Javed Lateef, Mushahidullah Khan, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Khawaja Saad Rafique accompanied Nawaz Sharif.

Following Nawaz’s remarks against Asif Ali Zardari, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Friday ruled out any reconciliation with him. Khursheed Shah maintained that they would not repeat the mistake of saving Nawaz Sharif again. “We saved Nawaz Sharif once for the sake of stability of democratic system but now we will not help him out at any cost,” Khursheed Shah said.

Khursheed Shah said Nawaz Sharif should remember the day when he refused a meeting with Asif Ali Zardari. He said Nawaz Sharif must have shown cold shoulder to Asif Zardari to please someone and now he should tell whom he wanted to please.

“Mian Sahib! These are consequences of your actions (Makafat-e-Amal),” he said, adding that Nawaz Sharif never paid heed to the request that he should take parliament into confidence. He pointed out that it was not democracy but Nawaz Sharif who was mired in difficulties. “I will request Nawaz Sharif not to put democracy in danger,” he said.