Ex-president, PML-N leaders, family face hurdles in meeting Nawaz

LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz, along with other family members and several leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), met Nawaz Sharif at the Kot Lakhpat Jail, here on Thursday.

Prominent among others who reached the central jail for the weekly meeting with the incarcerated former premier were ex-president Mamnoon Hussain, Javed Hashmi, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator Asif Kirmani, former governor Punjab Rafique Rajwana, former governor Sindh Muhammad Zubair, Ayaz Sadiq, Talal Chaudhry and Marriyum Aurangzaib, etc.

Despite a drizzle and a bit frosty weather, dozens of PML-N workers had reached the venue to express solidarity with their party Quaid. The authorities did not allow visitors to reach the jail gate on vehicles from the last police checkpoint, around one kilometre away from the jail gate.

While some visitors took motorcycle rides and some hopped into auto-rickshaws to cover the distance, others preferred walk to reach the jail. Among others Marriyum Aurangzaib travelled in a rickshaw.

Unlike the previous occasions, the PML-N workers showered rose-petals on the vehicle of Hamza Shahbaz and not the one in which Maryam Nawaz arrived there. A couple of days back, some party workers had set up a camp outside the jail to express solidarity with their leader.

The charged party workers kept chanting slogans in favour of their imprisoned leader, especially whenever a senior party leader arrived at the police checkpoint to subsequent travel to the jail for the meeting.

Speaking to reporters outside the jail, former president Mamnoon Hussain said the party leaders and workers were there to express faith in Nawaz Sharif. To a question, he said former PM was not in good health. He said thousands of people had become jobless and asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to do something for the poor masses and put the economy on the right track.

Reportedly, during the meeting with the visiting leaders of his party, Nawaz Sharif was critical of how former president Mamnoon Hussain was treated at the jail.

“Former prime ministers have been mistreated in Pakistan; however, this is for the first time a former president had been treated this way. He was body-searched from point to point. Mamnoon Hussain is an elderly person. He was taken off the car and made to walk to the prison. In no other country, a former president is treated like this,” Nawaz was quoted as saying.

He also reportedly said that he had been told by doctors of having an enlarged heart. To which, he replied that he was a big-hearted person. Sources said the former premier also expressed concerns over the country’s economic conditions.

Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that they were concerned about the health of Nawaz Sharif and said it was hoped that the medical board would share its report with personal physician as well as family of the former premier. He said Nawaz Sharif was the leader who made Pakistan an atomic power and added he should be provided basic rights in the jail.

Talking to the media outside the jail, MNA Rana Sanaullah hit out at the PTI government, saying the country was being pushed towards an ungoverned state, while its economy had also been hurt badly. He said no Punjab-related decision was taken in Punjab today and every instruction used to come via WhatsApp messages from Bani Gala. “Bani Gala is also responsible for Sahiwal incident,” he alleged, adding that Imran Khan used to say in the Model Town incident that orders came from the top.

He also alleged that all evidence in Sahiwal incident had been destroyed and neither the JIT nor judicial commission could now reach any conclusion. While coming down hard on Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, Rana Sanaullah said he would expose him once he (Sanaullah) becomes a member of the Public Accounts Committee. “I have requested Shahbaz Sharif to give me a chance as well if Sh Rashid becomes member of the PAC. I will remove his wig and show his read face to the people,” he added.

Sanaullah said they had reservations over the legal status of the JIT in the Model Town case. He said soon files of moral and financial corruption of the rulers would open up and the PTI workers would be protesting at the same place where the PML-N workers were observing protests. The disgraced premier has been serving a seven-year jail term at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.