Nawaz says cases registered against PTI founder are true

LAHORE: Newly elected President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said that cases registered against PTI founder Imran Khan are true.

He said this while addressing the party’s general council meeting after being elected unopposed to the top position after a period of six years in a party election held, here on Tuesday.

He accused the PTI founder of hatching a plan (called it London Plan) with the help of the then establishment to abolish his government in 2017, adding he (Imran) came to politics on the shoulders of others.

Nawaz recalled that someone came to him and demanded him to resign from the premiership during the PTI sit-in in Islamabad and threaten him if he had not resigned, he would have to face consequences.

He claimed, “I rejected this threat and told the person that I would not resign at any cost and do whatever they wanted to do.”

Nawaz maintained that the third force (establishment) wanted to remove him and wanted to bring Imran Khan to power that was why London Plan was chalked out.

He further said, “Ask Imran Khan that he was not brought to power by the then establishment and if this is not true, I will quit politics.”

The former prime minister blamed, “Former DG ISI General Zaheerul Islam was also part of the London Plan and he said that they had tried different parties but all had failed and now they want to give chance to Imran Khan and they hoped he would improve the situation.”

He further said, “General Zaheerul Islam said that they will put a rope around Nawaz Sharif’s neck and drag him out of power and bring the PTI founder to power.”

He also accused former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar of ousting him from power without any legal basis, stating that he was removed under the guise of not receiving a salary from his son.

Furthermore, CJP Nisar stripped him (Nawaz) of the presidency of the PML-N and disqualified him for life from holding public and party offices, he said.

Nawaz lamented the practice of “leg pulling,” which he claimed had been ongoing since 1977 and had weakened the country.

“We should accept that we have shot ourselves in the foot. Believe me, we have never gone to anyone with a begging bowl,” he added.

The three-time prime minister reiterated that he would have never complained if he had been ousted from the prime minister’s post due to corruption.

He praised his brother, PM Shehbaz Sharif, for his “resilience,” noting that Shehbaz always stood by him despite many attempts to create rifts between them by offering Shehbaz the prime minister’s post.

“Shehbaz Sharif said, ‘I reject the top ministry being given in exchange for disloyalty’,” Nawaz said.

He also congratulated his daughter, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, for keeping the party active.

He said, “We are of May 28, not of May 9.”,

Nawaz recalled that Bill Clinton had called him and demanded not to test the atom bomb, threatening that restrictions would be imposed

He further said, “We rejected 5 billion dollars of that time and We carried out nuclear explosions despite threats.”

“If the founder of PTI had been in place of me, he would have accepted five billion dollars and given up nuclear tests,” he asserted.

After nuclear blasts, Vajpayee came to Pakistan, we made a deal with him but the agreement with India was also violated by us, Nawaz recalled.