LAHORE/ KARACHI: Ousted prime minister and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has claimed that his ouster from the premiership in 2017 was the result of ‘dubious accountability system and political victimisation’.

In 2018, an accountability court sentenced the three-time premier to seven-year rigorous imprisonment after it found him guilty in Al-Azizia reference, one of the three graft cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in line with the apex court order.

Prior to his sentence, the Supreme Court disqualified him in Panama Papers case and ordered NAB to file corruption references against him.

In a tweet from his official handle on Saturday, he quoted an example of former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddqui, who was removed from his post following controversial speech against state institutions.

The statement comes two days after Nawaz, who is currently in London since last year undergoing treatment of his undiagnosed illness, banned his party members from holding off-the-book meetings with military and intelligence officials.

“This is the reality of the accountability through which three-time elected prime minister was victimised, sentenced and declared absconder,” Nawaz wrote on his official Twitter handle.

He said in a bid to punish him the country has been “drowned” and added that no one would be allowed to create further mess in the country.

Nawaz also held a telephonic conversation with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman earlier today.

Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that the two opposition leaders discussed options to topple the PTI-led government which also includes resigning from the assemblies.

They also exchanged views on appointing the head of newly-formed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance of opposition parties and reportedly also approved the formation of committee to decide the matter of stepping down from legislative assemblies, the sources added.

Meanwhile, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif while endorsing the no holds barred speech of his elder brother and party supremo at the last week’s APC has said that it was in line with the law and the Constitution.

Speaking to senior journalists and media persons in Lahore, Shehbaz set aside the impression that he believed in politics of reconciliation. He also reiterated that the decisions taken during the opposition’s multi-party confab will be implemented in letter and spirit.

The former Punjab chief minister said the incumbent government could not be allowed to rule anymore and should be sent packing. He also alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan was trying his best to get him arrested.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haideri has said that army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had invited the JUI-F delegation for a meeting wherein he insisted that the party ‘calls off the Azadi March’ held against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.Haideri revealed that not only the army chief asked them to abort the anti-government protest, but he also urged them not to ‘interfere in what we [establishment] are doing with Nawaz Sharif’.

In Oct, JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman led thousands of anti-government protesters in the name of Azadi March to Islamabad in a bid to oust prime minister Imran Khan, though the disruption fell short of what organizers had planned. Thousands of supporters reached the capital Islamabad on Oct. 31, holding a two-week sit-in on the city’s main highway.

Later, Fazlur Rehman has said that he called off his anti-government Azadi March after being assured that a ‘change’ will take place in December. He went on to say that he was told that if he ends the sit-in, the general elections would be held in the next three months.

Earlier, the military spokesperson, Major Gen Babar Iftikhar, told a news channel about two meetings between army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and former Sindh governor and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair.

The discussion during these meetings revolved around Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, the spokesperson had claimed.

However, Zubair admitted to meeting the army chief in a personal capacity. He rejected the impression that any relief was sought for the Sharifs in those meetings.

Before this, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed revealed that a delegation of parliamentary leaders met Gen Bajwa at General Headquarters, Rawalpindi.

He made this claim a day after the opposition’s all-parties conference where they announced the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance against the government and called for an end to the interference of the military establishment in politics.

Meeting between Bajwa and Opp leaders

It was revealed that the opposition lawmakers met Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed.

The reports raised many questions, considering that opposition parties had taken a strong position against the military’s role in politics just a day earlier.

This could be a ‘routine’ meeting, as lawmakers often meet the military top brass to discuss the issues that pertain to the national security, but the secrecy that shrouded it till the word came out has given rise to speculations.

Gilgit-Baltistan issues

According to Senator Sherry Rehman, the meeting which was held on the request of the army chief was convened to discuss the ‘sensitive’ issues pertaining to Gilgit-Baltistan in the wake of ‘increasing Indian aggression’.

The political issues did not come up during the meeting, said the PPP leader, adding the party agenda remained limited to the issues pertaining to the GB region. The army chief said the political parties needed to strengthen the parliamentary democracy, she admitted, refusing to give further details.

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 26 (DNA) – The Pakistan Hindu Council has announced that it will be ending its protest outside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the council’s president, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said on Saturday.

Thousands of Hindus from across the country gathered outside the embassy on Thursday. They staged a sit-in calling out the Indian government over its lack of investigation in the killing of 11 migrant Hindus in India’s Jodhpur.

On August 9, a Hindu family that had migrated to Lodta Haridasot were found dead at their residence in a village under mysterious circumstances.

The protesters have accused India’s secret service of poisoning the family and have demanded a detailed investigation into the case.

“We have decided to end the protests for now,” Vankwani said. “But this is just a warning for the Indian forces and government. If our demands are not met, we take our protest to the Wagah Border,” he warned.

He added that they will file a petition over the matter in court. “We have prepared a declaration resolution resolve and have pasted a copy of it outside the Indian Embassy as well.”

He told the minister that the daughter of the deceased head of the family, Shrimati Mukhi, had filed an FIR in Sanghar over the incident, nominating the RSS and BJP for their involvement in the murder of her family members.

She said that her father, mother and other family members were murdered after they refused to spy on Pakistan and issue anti-Pakistan statements at the behest of Indian intelligence agency RAW, he added.

Earlier this week, the Foreign Office had summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires to register Pakistan’s concerns over the mysterious deaths of the family. According to a statement by the ministry, the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi has asked the Indian government to provide copies of the FIRs and initial investigations reports in the case.

“India has failed to share any substantive details regarding the cause and circumstances of the deaths,” the statement added. The foreign ministry has, however, assured the protesters that it will keep urging the Indian government to investigate the matter. DNA

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DNA

FAISALABAD, SEPT 26 – Divisional Commissioner Ishrat Ali directed that by adopting zero tolerance policy, the anti encroachment campaign should be carried out with 100 percent success and relevent departments should sent their daily progress report to Anti Encroachment Cell.

He issued the directive while presiding over a meeting in the District Council in which the issues of making the anti-encroachment campaign fruitful were reviewed.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali, DGF DA Muhammad Sohail Khawaja, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Fazal Rabi Cheema, Director Local Government Mian Aftab Ahmed, CEO Faisalabad Waste Management Company Kashif Raza Awan, Assistant Commissioner Sadar Umar Maqbool, Zonal Administrator Auqaf Ayaz Mehmood Lashari, CEO MPC Naeem ullah Warrich, officers of PHA, PHATA, Irrigation were also present.

The Divisional Commissioner clarified that relinquishing government lands from occupation mafia is a priority in which the targets assigned to the concerned departments will also be reviewed regularly therefore, performance should be seen.

He directed all the concerned departments to ensure its completion by appointing and police force will also be provided during the operation. During the meeting, some issues related to crackdown against encroachment mafia were also discussed.

DNA

MUHAMMAD TAHIR

FAISALABAD, SEPT 26 – Hafiz Muhammad Amjad, president of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Aman Committee expressed deep concern over increase in price by the federal cabinet, said that instead of cracking down on companies selling expensive drugs the federal cabinet gave approval of 94% increase in prices of emergency life-saving drugs, The government has not thought about how the poor people will get treatment for their disease.

We demand the government to reduce the prices of medicines. Every year, billions of rupees are received from counterfeit drugs in Pakistan, but this criminality often results in the loss of thousands of human lives at the same time.. According to the WHO, global trade in counterfeit and sub – standard drugs is up to $ 200 billion worldwide.

Experts predict counterfeit drugs are the most profitable industry globally, making illicit and poor – quality copies of legal and popular products. However, at the international level, this greed for illicit gain often triggers the deaths of millions of civilians, and such deaths are more common in Pakistan. Govt. has to make sure that effective medicines are available in Pakistan. But there are still so many unfortunate deaths in Pakistan caused by illegal pharmacists and drug dealers who play with the lives of patients for excessive income.

This statistic is not in the tens or hundreds, but every year in the thousands. Many senior Pakistani drug enforcement officials still insist that the illicit drug industry is not widespread in Pakistan, murdering patients or there are any illegal factories. A few days earlier in Faisalabad, the Quality Control Board decided to send the cases of 10 medical stores engaged in the sale of sub-standard and counterfeit products to the drug courts.

On the drug control situation, Khawaja Razzaq Sikka, city president of Anjuman-e-Tajiran, said that the rise in drug prices is direct evidence of the government’s failure and that many poor people will die due to the inability to purchase expensive drugs from the market.

Due to a scarcity of labs, effective detection of counterfeit drugs is also unavailable. Many people who make such drugs are making millions with doctors. ۔ Doctors who do this or prescribe only medicines manufactured by a particular company for their patients receive valuable gifts or foreign trips. As far as the condition of drug control in Pakistan is concerned, it can be seen that many individuals, public and private institutions are fulfilling their duties and professional responsibilities, but Awa’s voice has deteriorated as a whole.

There are several counterfeit medications that prolong patients’ suffering and even cause their deaths. , Pharmacists, doctors, drug distributors, drug dealers and people in all walks of life, are involved in this illicit business. Counterfeit drugs also make them sicker rather than healthier. Patients may die instead of being healthy from the use of bogus drugs. Substandard drugs can be fatal to both mother and infant in gynecology alone. It is critical that the selling of illegal or non-standard medicines is strictly prosecuted so that this harmful activity can be eradicated.