LONODN: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Friday announced to return to the country as soon as his wife Kulsoom Nawaz regains consciousness.
Addressing a press conference in London on Friday, he said that time and again he was asked to leave the country and not to return to Pakistan but he never thought about himself or his daughter. It was easy for me to compromise, he added.
Nawaz further asked who were the people involved in this conspiracy, adding that they must know the time has changed.
He urged the general public to stand up to these invisible forces involved in violating the constitution.
“The accountability court judgement doesn’t prove any charge of corruption against me,” he said and added an elected prime minister was pressurized to step down.
“I will continue my struggle for the sanctity of the vote.”
He said that he had not only attended the 109 hearings but also tolerated the allegations of a traitor.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif on Friday deplored the verdict sentencing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to ten years in prison in the Avenfield reference case.
Addressing a press conference shortly after the verdict was announced, the PML-N president said that the verdict is political and has many shortcomings, and will go down as one of the worst decisions in history.
“The accountability court’s verdict is political and has many shortcomings. The PML-N and the people of Pakistan reject the court’s verdict,” he said.
He further said the verdict is unfair, unjust and will be written in black ink as one of the worst in the history of the nation, as it replete with errors and shortcomings.
He said the cases are pending in the accountability court since years and no verdict is announced against the culprits, and the verdict against the Sharif family is completely unfair.
Praising the achievement of his brother, Shahbaz said that Nawaz Sharif served the nation and made it an atomic powerhouse despite external pressures, and initiated several development projects.
“The gift of Pakistan’s development, CPEC, was also given by Nawaz Sharif,” he said adding that projects like Gwadar port and a network of motorways were also provided by him.
He said Nawaz Sharif doesn’t deserve the punishment that he has been given today. “Nawaz Sharif doesn’t deserve the punishment awarded to him. The services of Nawaz Sharif cannot be undermined,” he said.
He further said Nawaz Sharif has always stood steadfast and despite reservation over the provision of justice appeared in court along with his daughter for 109 times.
However, he said the people will also give their verdict in favour of the Sharif family in the general elections on July 25. “The NAB court has announced its verdict, but the court of the people still remains.”
Earlier, an accountability court sentenced Nawaz Sharif to ten years in prison and fined him eight million pounds. His daughter, Maryam Sharif, was sentenced to seven years in prison, while son-in-law retired Captain Safdar was sentenced to one year in prison. – NNI