News Analysis |
Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, seem to be wading through one of the toughest patches of his political career, in a spree of cases launched against him after the disqualification by the apex court in Panama Papers Case in July 2018, however, he is stuck between a rock and a hard place this time.
The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz leader – who served as Prime Minister for three times and was ousted for the same number – may be agitating the support of his followers with each passing day owing to the ‘bait’ which he has thrown before the masses, revolving around the ‘sanctity of vote’, however, it increasingly appears that Nawaz Sharif has not been able to impress upon the accountability court, which would be deciding his fate in a matter of few weeks.
The 68-year-old politician is doing whirlwind visits to different cities of the country, attracting masses in appreciable numbers; however, he is losing the legal battle before the accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir.
The ruling party has a record of attacking judiciary, however, the same strategy would not be easy to implement this time due to a vibrant media and politically aware civil society.
Wajid Zia, the head of six-member Joint Investigation Team, which probed the murky wheeling and dealing of Sharif family last year, is presenting smoking guns before the court, giving credence to the perception that Nawaz Sharif was using the ‘sanctity of vote’ stance as a smokescreen to hide his financial misappropriations.
On April 5, Wajid Zia claimed, for the first time, before the accountability court that Nawaz Sharif did receive his salary from Capital FZE, the firm managed by Sharif’s son, Hassan Nawaz, in August 2013 – after he had become the Prime Minister – contrary to the claims of former ruling family that Nawaz Sharif was disqualified on the basis of ‘imaginary’ salary.
Read more: Is Nawaz Sharif threatening to become the next Mujibur Rahman?
Moreover, in March, Wajid Zia dropped bombs on Sharifs as he argued before the accountability court that the trust deeds submitted by Maryam Nawaz before the apex court were fake as she was the beneficial owner of BVI companies owning the Avenfield Apartments, citing British Virgin Island’s confirmation in this regard.
Maryam Nawaz is not the sole accused in the Avenfield Apartments; former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also one of the accused and during the hearing on April 17th, Wajid Zia blew the lid off Nawaz Sharif’s ‘false’ claims by stating that according to the documents received through Mutual Legal Assistance, Sharif family’s upscale London apartments were transferred to the possession of offshore companies Nielson and Nescoll during 1993 to 1995, at a time when Sharif’s heir – Hassan and Hussain – were not self-reliant, implying that Nawaz Sharif was the owner of apartments.
The 68-year-old politician is doing whirlwind visits to different cities of the country, attracting masses in appreciable numbers; however, he is losing the legal battle before the accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir.
Amid all the damage that Wajiz Zia is inflicting on former ruling family, Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are holding public rallies in different cities to attract masses with their narrative that has been against judiciary and establishment or simply armed forces.
Nawaz Sharif considers and promulgates that he was ousted not because his financial dealings were murky, but because the judiciary-establishment nexus is after him and he asserts his point in public gatherings, though, the politician himself knows that his handling of financial matters was not transparent, when he was involved in his political spats during his 1990’s terms as Prime Ministers.
Read more: SC issues notice to Nawaz Sharif after adjourning Article 62(1)(f) hearing
With hefty spending on media advertisement and social media maneuvering, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz has somewhat managed to sway public opinion in its favor, however, the strategy is failing every day before the accountability court.
No matter, how mammoth public rallies of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz are staged in days to come, the core question before Nawaz Sharif is to clarify his position in the accountability court because the fuel of judicial victory is documents and not slogans.
The Avenfield Reference, filed by the National Accountability Bureau, after the directives of Supreme Court is proving to be a hard nut for Nawaz Sharif to crack though the references regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment are also there to keep Sharifs on toes.
Maryam Nawaz is not the sole accused in the Avenfield Apartments; former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also one of the accused and during the hearing on April 17th, Wajid Zia blew the lid off Nawaz Sharif’s ‘false’ claims.
Due to fragile legal position over the references filed by the accountability watchdog, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz is swiftly losing the electable, which are jumping off party’s ship owing to probable sentence, awaiting Nawaz Sharif.
Read more: Nawaz Sharif fears no ‘free and fair’ Elections to be held,…
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz is claiming to be the strongest and vibrant party, even after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister and party head, even then it is an undeniable fact that public support is not enough to turn down the verdict, yet to be announced by Muhammad Bashir.
The ruling party has a record of attacking judiciary, however, the same strategy would not be easy to implement this time due to a vibrant media and politically aware civil society.