‘Reconciliation possible with everyone but govt’

ISLAMABAD: PMLN Vice President Maryam Nawaz has ruled out reconciliation with the PTI government, saying that the time has come to get rid of the incumbent regime which is planning to rig the next general elections.

“Not to talk about reconciliation with the government, there is even no question of talks with them after they have crossed all limits of anti-people policies,” Maryam said while talking to newsmen after the hearing of the Avenfield case at the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday. She said that reconciliation is possible with everyone but the government. To a question, she said she feels that PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif did not propose the national government; rather he talked about national consensus and national reconciliation. Responding to another question about the three-year performance of the government, Maryam said it is ridiculous to call it performance. She said the country in its 73 years history never experienced such a failed, incompetent and insensitive government. She said lawlessness in the country could be gauged from the fact that incidents of assault on women are on the rise.

Maryam condemned the draconian law to regulate media. She quoted examples of victimization of journalists like Hamid Mir, Aamir Mir, Absar Alam and Asad Toor. “The government believes in such draconian acts because it has no performance to its credit,” she said, adding that the PMLN leadership has been facing unprecedented victimization. The recent example is that she could not attend the wedding ceremony of her only son. “But I did not request the government to leave for the UK and will never do so,” she said.

To a question, she said Nawaz Sharif was convicted in a fake case, which is evident from the statement of Accountability Court judge Arshad Malik who said that he was forced to give the judgment against Nawaz Sharif. “Nawaz Sharif had already spent imprisonment and faced punishment in a fake case and by doing so, he paid off more debt than due against him,” she said.

About the return of Nawaz Sharif, she said there is no wisdom in presenting oneself before the government’s political victimisation in the name of accountability. She said Pakistan is the country of Nawaz Sharif and he would return whenever he and the party leadership feel that the appropriate time has come. “This is an illegal and illegitimate government which is carrying out political victimization and accountability of opponents,” she said.