Lahore:Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday accused Imran Khan, the imprisoned leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, of attempting to create a rift between the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
Speaking at a ceremony in Lahore, Sharif, 74, directly addressed Khan, saying, "You want to provoke a clash between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. You are behaving like the invaders from central Asia who used to attack Punjab in ancient times. Instead of inciting the people of the province to invade Punjab, you should focus on serving them."
Sharif criticised Khan's failed promises, adding, "Those who follow you blindly like sheep and goat should ask you where the five million houses you promised during your tenure are." Khan, 71, has been imprisoned since August last year in multiple legal cases. His party has been staging protests demanding his release and claiming that the government should adhere to the constitution and the independence of the judiciary.
Sharif also lambasted Khan's poor governance, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where his party is currently in power. "His performance was zero and despite his party's government in Khyber Pakhtunkwa, they fail to meet the expectations of the people. Their only focus is on protests and street riots," Sharif said.
Referring to Khan's statements during the 2014 sit-in, Sharif recalled, "He said he would drag me out with a noose around my neck. Such arrogance! Learn humility and fear God. You reap what you sow." The three-time former premier added that elements like Khan should be dealt with firmly. Sharif also criticised the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court which disqualified him as premier in 2017.
"Five judges, led by Saqib Nisar, removed a prime minister of 250 million people because I didn't take a salary of 10,000 dirhams from my son. What a grave injustice! I still have Saqib Nisar's leaked audio where he says, We have to put Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in jail and bring Imran Khan to power.' And what did he accomplish? Nothing. I was working, the country was progressing, so why did you have to remove me and what you achieved," he said.
Recalling his meeting with Khan in 2014, Sharif said, "I went to Bani Gala and had a one-hour meeting with him. He agreed not to launch any agitation against my government but then he went to London. When he returned, he started the sit-in. What did those sit-ins achieve." Sharif also expressed disappointment with the establishment, stating that despite his good work, he was not treated fairly by the state. He questioned why he was removed from office three times without being allowed to complete his tenure.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader also criticised the people of the country for not standing up for him when he was unjustly removed despite his service to the nation. "How can an elected prime minister of 250 million people be ousted? Proud and dignified nations ask such questions. It pains me to think about why this happened to someone who was working for Pakistan. If you do not take notice of such injustices, Pakistan's situation will remain the same."
Indirectly addressing the military establishment, Sharif said, "If parliamentarians had been allowed to work, no one in the country would be without a house today." Pakistan's Punjab government on Tuesday imposed a ban on all forms of public gatherings in several districts citing "terror threats", a day after Khan gave a protest call to prevent a constitutional amendment which he claimed would undermine the judiciary.
Khan on Monday called for countrywide protests for the independence of the judiciary after his party claimed the government was planning to bring an amendment to increase the retirement age of judges and fix the tenure of the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
