ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan criticizes the justice system’s “complete collapse” and characterizes Nawaz Sharif’s return as the execution of a London “agreement.”
In a statement initially released by his family on October 24 but tweeted from the PTI chief’s official account on Friday, the former prime minister, who was ousted through a parliamentary vote last year, decries the situation as a “total mockery of the law.”
Khan asserts, “My Pakistanis! In the last few days, we have witnessed a total mockery of the law. All that is happening today is not just an execution of a London ‘plan’ but a London ‘agreement’ that was signed between a cowardly fugitive and corrupt criminal and his facilitators.”
The statement comes six days after Nawaz Sharif’s return from a four-year self-imposed exile in London on October 21. Before his arrival, protective bail was granted to Nawaz in two graft cases, and arrest warrants in another case were suspended, facilitating his smooth return.
Khan laments the leniency extended to the PML-N leader, stating, “The only way a convicted criminal could be allowed to return to politics with a clean chit is by destroying State institutions. Hence, what we are witnessing is a complete collapse of our justice system.”
He adds, “My Pakistanis! Please remember, all the cases against me are completely bogus and politically motivated, concocted only to keep me in jail for a certain period, maybe even beyond the elections. However, the growing political awareness and increasing resistance against closed-room conspiracies in my nation scare them.”
Khan also shares his health status during his jail time, asserting, “At the moment, I am physically fit. I would know if my body was experiencing changes from weakness.” He suggests the possibility of poisoning in jail, citing previous attempts on his life.
He urges the people to continue their struggle and mentions that the party leadership has been advised to start campaigning for elections.
In the latest development benefiting Nawaz, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) restored his appeals against accountability courts’ conviction verdicts in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, reviving his pursuit to nullify the sentences he received in the graft cases.
On October 24, Nawaz’s bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases was extended until October 26 after the anti-graft watchdog indicated no objections to his pleas.
Additionally, the Punjab government approved the suspension of Nawaz’s sentence in the Al-Azizia reference on the same day.
Nawaz was sentenced to jail in the Avenfield properties corruption reference in 2018 and the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference in 2018. He was released from jail in March 2019 and later traveled to London for medical treatment. Last week, protective bail granted by the IHC paved the way for his return to the country.
