Screengrab of Maryam Nawaz’s rally in Swabi
The public is aware of the rhetoric being peddled by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and will not be fooled by him again, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said on Wednesday.
Addressing a rally in Swabi, she said there should be no bar on Khan’s campaign rallies, as it would help the public recognize and question his government’s incompetence. “Imran has lost his sanity due to his ouster,” she said, adding that this was why he had started to abuse state institutions as well as the media and rival politicians.
“When you [Khan] were in power, all state institutions were good but ever since you have been ousted, you have started considering everyone Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs,” she said, referring to the former prime minister’s description of his opponents as “traitors” in various speeches. “The only difference is that those who had favored you earlier have now withdrawn their support,” she said. “Why should the armed forces pay the price of your shortcomings?”
Stressing that the economic crisis left by the ousted government during its tenure could not be fixed within a few months, she warned that it would take two to three years to fix all issues. Maintaining that Imran Khan was solely responsible for all of his wrongdoings and blunders, she said he should be the one to bear their brunt. “I advise the PMLN to not take on his baggage,” she said.
Next elections
While thanking the people of Swabi for supporting the PMLN, Maryam said she was grateful that the country had been able to rid itself of an oppressive government. “Thank God we were finally able to get rid of people who ran the country on the basis of magic and witchcraft,” she said, adding that she hoped Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa would also vote out Khan in the next polls.
“The man who ruled the country for four years cannot even speak about the accomplishments of his government for four seconds,” she said, referring to the PTI chairman. “Since he can’t talk about his achievements, he has to resort to using the support of a fake diplomatic cable,” she said, adding that the “threat letter” was just an excuse to distract the public from the PTI’s incompetence.
“You were neither removed by Nawaz Sharif, nor was there any foreign involvement in your ouster,” she said. “MNAs kicked you out through a motion of no-confidence,” she said, adding that several dissident MNAs were now asking for a PMLN ticket for the next election. “For four years, he remained ignorant of the plight of the masses. But now, the nation will not allow you to conceal your incompetency under the garb of a conspiracy,” she added.
Working for future
Praising the incumbent coalition government, the PMLN vice-president said that Pakistan was on the path to progress with the change in leadership. “The PTI-led government left the country in shambles,” she claimed, adding that Khan had “destroyed” the economy by taking over Rs. 25,000 billion in loans without spending any of it on the country’s development.
“We assumed that Pakistan was admitted to the ICU owing to its condition, but a month later, it turned out that the country was on a ventilator,” she said but claimed that the new government, unlike the PTI, would not spend all its time blaming its predecessors for the mess it had inherited.