Opponents fear PML-N social media force: Maryam Nawaz

The opponents of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are scared of the party's social media force as it is effectively spreading the ideology of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif across Pakistan, his daughter Maryam Nawaz said on Tuesday.

Maryam Nawaz was addressing a convention for PML-N social media workers in Model Town. "Our opponents are scared of PML-N's social media force. It has not only fought your (Sharif's) case but also played a role in the NA-120 campaign," she said.

Maryam Nawaz said her father faced hardships because he chose "the right path instead of taking the easy way out".

"Nawaz Sharif was attacked because he chose the right path over the easy one. He was attacked because he stands with his ideology, and his ideology is about respecting elected representatives," she said to loud chants from her supporters.

There is no doctrine of necessity in democracy, she said and warned of "strict action" if any of her team members were "threatened".

Addressing the convention, the ousted Premier said he had no doubts the party will witness a "historic victory" in the next general elections. "Our political opponents will fail in their intentions," he said.

Sharif again questioned his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the so-called Panama Papers scandal. "Where have you heard that a leader is disqualified because he did not receive salary from his son?"

"A ladla (dear) is excused despite admitting to his crime," Nawaz said in an apparent reference to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan.

Khan was exonerated of graft charges earlier this month. The Supreme Court had rejected a petition seeking his disqualification.

Sharif lamented that former military dictator Pervez Musharraf violated the Constitution but his case was still pending in the courts. "Yet, they gave the verdict against us in a matter of weeks."

He said the decision against him by the apex court halted Pakistan's progress while foreign reserves also started plunging.

Criticising the country's justice system, Sharif said that "everywhere in the world, a principle of innocent until proved guilty is followed, but not in Pakistan".

--IANS

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