Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday warned it will take “several years” to fully restore the country’s economy.
Addressing journalists in the federal capital after attending a hearing at the Islamabad High Court, she said the incumbent government had managed to avoid default, but true prosperity was still far off. Slamming the rhetoric of ousted prime minister Imran Khan, she said he could not escape accountability for his actions while in government by blaming everything on the current rulers.
Claiming that Khan’s government had brought the country to the brink of disaster, she said the incumbent government was trying to steer it to the right path. She regretted that the PTI-led government had violated its agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which had provoked economic chaos that the country had yet to recover from.
Accusing Khan of misusing taxpayers’ money, she alleged he was using public funds for helicopter rides and public rallies, even as millions were suffering due to floods and inflation. To a question, she said she did not support any decisions of the incumbent government that triggered inflation, and urged the ruling coalition government to take steps to control it.
Early elections
On a question about Khan’s repeated calls for early elections, Maryam advised the PTI chairman to dissolve the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where his party is in power, if he wanted to force the country toward general elections. However, she maintained, the government should not come under any pressure to proceed for elections before its tenure had completed.
Claiming Khan was on a “mission” to destroy Pakistan’s politics, state institutions and moral values, she described him as a “fitna” who had been funded by foreign forces. There should be a consensus among all institutions, she stressed, that Khan is fitna. Judges, she added, should also think about why they are unknowingly giving “fitna” an opportunity to propagate his message.
Maintaining that if Khan’s “coaches” stopped favoring him, the government could deal with him within three days, she accused the ousted prime minister of “creating drama” by accusing the U.S. for his ouster from office. After alleging a foreign conspiracy, she noted, he was now meeting American officials and hiring lobbyists in the U.S. to curry favor with Washington.
Referring to Khan’s remarks about the military and other national institutions, she said that he used to praise the Army while in power but had sought to make it controversial since being ousted. Responding to a question about Khan’s demands for the incumbent government to not appoint a new Army chief, she said she stood by her principles that no official should be granted any extension to their tenure.
Religion card
The PMLN leader also slammed Khan for politicizing religion, lamenting he changed the definition of religion according to his liking. “Religion is a personal matter, but that does not mean that you can claim voting against the PTI is a sin,” she said, adding the PTI chief had even declared that any of his party members who left him were committing shirk.
“Shirk’s definition is associating partners with God. Are you changing the entire dictionary and the meaning of religion for your disgusting politics?” she asked, adding that under this definition, Khan himself was a sinner because he had admitted in TV interviews that he used the security establishment to push his coalition partners into voting for legislation.
Urging Khan to avoid using religion for politics, she said it “hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims.”
To a question on PMLN leader Javed Latif’s attempt to link the PTI leader with Ahmadis, she said she was against using or involving religion in politics or for personal interests. “Using religion for your personal motives is not good. I have suffered this. [Planning Minister] Ahsan Iqbal received a bullet and they insulted [PML-N supremo] Nawaz Sharif as well,” she added.
Discussing the contempt case the PTI chief is facing in the IHC, Maryam said she did not agree with insulting a woman judge during a public gathering and then hiding behind an apology. Referencing the case of PMLN leader Nehal Hashmi, who was disqualified for five years despite an apology, she said everyone was equal in the eyes of the law.