Says I received a threatening message from Intelligence chief to resign during 2014 sit-in
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News – 23rd May, 2018) Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Nawaz Sharif has said that I had the same fault 20 years ago, which is today.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif said, “Pervez Musharraf came into government by violating constitution the country. It is not easy to bring a dictator into the court of justice. I stood firm that the dictator should be punished. I refused to end cases against Musharraf. The real objective to remove me as prime minister was to save Musharraf,” he said.
Pointing towards Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sit-in of 2014, he said that somebody put the demand of prime minister’s resignation in the mouth of those staging a dharna against me.
“I received a threatening message from Intelligence chief to resign,” he said, adding that Asif Ali Zardari had advised me to act wisely.
“Those ‘playing’ these cases know what crimes I committed. The reason I am facing these cases is that I refused to work for them. I molded foreign policy of the country in national interest and so my disqualification for life was the only solution,” Nawaz Sharif said.
“Many people were named in Panama Papers, I don’t know how many people were punished or removed. In Pakistan, all this is happening in the name Panama against a person who wasn’t even named in panama Papers, being me Nawaz Sharif. No evidence has been submitted against me from the prosecution witnesses,” the former prime minister further said.
He asked, “Did all this happen 19 years ago because of Panama? Was I mistreated then because of London flats? I have the same fault today that I had then.”
“Call me hijacker, Sicilian mafia, godfather or traitor. Question my righteousness and honesty, it does not bother me. I am the son of this country and this land is dearer to me than my life. All the allegations made against me are baseless. I have put my case in the court of people,” he added.
He said that an analysis of 10 months after 28 July, 2017 Panama papers decision should be made. “Balochistan government was removed. I was removed as the president of party. The country’s economy is disrupted.”
He went on to say, “I consider it a disgrace taking a certificate of patriotism. I respect the army. I want the institutions to remain in their limits. Policies should be made by the representatives of the people. This is what my crime was.
I wish we could call the souls of late Liaquat Ali Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Khan and Benazir Bhutto and ask them why they were killed. Wish we could call the prime ministers and ask why no one could complete their tenure. There only sin is that the majority of Pakistani people love them, they bring them into Parliament.”
He concluded that the national interest does not allow him to say anything further and left without answering the questions of journalists.
