Maryam rubbishes rumours of Nawaz exile

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz has rubbished the rumors of her father’s self-exile and said the news is just a self-created lie.

In her tweet, Maryam stated that exile will be the fate of military dictators and non-democratic characters, not of the representatives elected by people.

Her tweet came after rumours that Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif are in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a deal that would allow Nawaz to leave politics and stay in exile.

A spokesperson of Nawaz has contradicted as speculative a news report published in national and international press that the former PM is negotiating a deal with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to avoid accountability.

Terming the story as unfounded, he said Nawaz is visiting the Kingdom due to his longstanding relations with the Saudi Royal family as well as being the head of the ruling party, a press release Sunday said.

Nawaz has always utilised these relations for national interest and never for his personal benefits, the spokesperson said. He further said record bears out that Nawaz holds all the institutions including the army and the superior courts in high esteem.

Nawaz has not only abided by the decisions of superior courts but also associated himself with ongoing investigations in cases politically motivated against him, he added, despite the fact that Sharif believed that he is innocent.

He promptly resigned after a decision of the court. Sharif is confident that he will come out clean, the spokesperson emphasised. There is no ban on the movement of Nawaz and therefore the question of seeking any permission does not arise.

Similarly there are no truths in the rumors of rift within in Sharif family, he affirmed. Similarly, the spokesperson expressed disappointment and surprise that the story was published/broadcast in violation of established norms and ethics without taking the version of all concerned.

Media organisation are advised to approach the spokesperson of the former PM before filing a story about in the future, he said.