Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PM-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has taken a fresh jibe at Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying he “should not attempt to be Nawaz Sharif by now asking for the vote to be respected”.
“Wearing the skin of a lion does not make you [PM Imran] a lion. One has to endure jail and go to the Attock Fort to demand for the vote to be respected,” she said while talking to media outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday.
“He [Premier Imran] has nothing to do with democracy and democratic struggle, but will have to answer for crushing people's vote, and for burdening Pakistan with historical debts,” she added.
Also read: Consultations between PM, COAS over new DG ISI completed: Fawad
Maryam’s remarks came in the wake of controversy over the appointment of new DG ISI, which started after the Prime Minister's Office delayed the notification of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum's appointment, who was named as the new ISI chief by the Pakistan Army's media wing in a press release last week.
Several eyebrows were raised when Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, while addressing the media following the federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said that all the legal procedures would be followed for the appointment of new spymaster, saying: “The authority to appoint DG ISI rests with the prime minister.”
The PML-N leader said that there are no two opinions about the constitutional rights given to a prime minister.
“However, [PM] Imran Khan is neither a constitutional, nor legal, nor an elected prime minister,” she insisted and added that the premier relies on "magic" to run the country of 220 million people.
“When important appointments are made on the basis of witchcraft and ghosts, then obviously the institutions of the country will be turned into a spectacle,” she further said.
Maryam questioned why the premier’s "spells" could not be used for public welfare if they are so "successful".
“Why can’t these ‘spells’ be used to lower the prices of wheat, petrol and medicine? Why are they only used for important appointments?” she questioned, claiming that the new appointment [of DG ISI] isn’t for the country, but to save oneself.
The PML-N vice-president said that she is not afraid of fake cases or arrests, adding that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) can arrest her to show the world how afraid they are of the truth.
“Power can temporarily suppress the truth but it will eventually come to light,” she added.
Maryam said that NAB requested for her and her husband's bail to be cancelled, adding that she felt like "children were scared" when she read the petition.
“I want to meet the ‘close friend’ who filed the petition against my bail. This person should be given a 22-gun salute,” she sarcastically remarked.