Nawaz to be in jail by Jan 15: Shibli

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz Friday claimed that the government would bring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan by January 15 and he would be in jail.

Addressing a press conference, he said the government was fully mobilised to bring Nawaz Sharif back to the country. He said there was no agreement between the two countries, but they were in touch with the UK government through diplomatic and legal channels and "he (Nawaz) would be here by January 15". He assured that not only looted money would be recovered from the ex-PM, but he would also be punished. He said the future of the family was only in jail.

Shibli was of the view that Nawaz Sharif started attacking the army when the PTI government talked about bringing Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan. “Nawaz asked the people to respect the vote, but he himself respected the note", he remarked.

Responding to a question about Maryam Nawaz's claim of the fall of the government, Shibli said the government was not going anywhere in January, but be mindful, she didn't mention the year. "They are talking about 2028 because they will not get a chance even after it," he added.

Referring to the video of PML-N leader Capt (retd) Safdar's arrest from a Karachi hotel released a day earlier, the federal minister asserted that Maryam Safdar didn't look panicked in the CCTV footage. He said no matter how many videos came out, their lies were exposed, adding that, the entire Pakistan had seen the drama. He said: “If there is any other video, they should share it with us." He said Maryam Nawaz made contradictory remarks. On one hand, Maryam says there is no need for an inquiry in Karachi, while on the other hand, she says that they will appear if there is an inquiry, he added.

On Thursday Maryam's aides mentioned the sanctity of ‘chadar and chardivari’, Shibli said, adding that perhaps they had forgotten how they killed women at Model Town during the PML-N tenure. He questioned whether the PML-N leadership had thought about the sanctity of ‘chadar and chardivari’ when they dropped pictures of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto from a helicopter. “Their aides lie daily on television, whereas Mayram Nawaz and Sindh government’s contradictory statements suggest that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had taken revenge of his mother," he added. “We did not arrest Capt (retd) Safdar, Sindh police arrested him, they are not sincere with each other, and there is a PPP government in Sindh, that means they are responsible," the federal minister said.

Shibli said the "royal family" considered itself above the law, adding that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal and Kh Asif were all "NAB affected". "People paid taxes and you were the trustee of it, but you took advantage of the public money and made properties." He said: "On one hand, Maryam Nawaz says Nawaz Sharif is the political leader of the country and on the other hand she gives an impression to Shahbaz Sharif that she has joined the leadership of the party." He continued that Maryam Safdar was the person who worked hard to get the title of Calibri Font Queen for herself. Maryam and her father have been declared liars by the Supreme Court, he remarked.

The federal minister said the Sharifs had always politicised their lies and hypocrisy. He said the Sindh government might have several motives behind Safdar’s arrest. He noted that their internal differences were coming to the fore as they had accepted Fazlur Rehman their leader, who was involved in politics under the guise of religion. "We have nothing to do with what they are doing with each other," he said, adding that these were the people who had weakened democracy.

The minister claimed that the PTI government got rid of the "Banarsi thugs" for the first time. He made it clear that the government was focusing on the economy and the country's future was bright. He endorsed Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid’s claim that the PML-N was going to split in many factions.