Tag: PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif

  • ‘NAB is a fraud through and through’: Broadsheet CEO apologises to Nawaz, says no corruption found

    ‘NAB is a fraud through and through’: Broadsheet CEO apologises to Nawaz, says no corruption found

    Assets recovery firm Broadsheet’s CEO Kaveh Moussavi has issued an apology to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, withdrawing all corruption allegations and for being part of a “witch hunt”.

    Moussavi issued an apology to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader through a video interview with GEO News on allegations of corruption.

    “We found a lot of plundered wealth [linked to others], but I can categorically state after virtually 21 years of investigation that not one rupee was related to Mr Nawaz Sharif or any member of his family. If anyone says otherwise they are lying,” Kaveh Moussavi said.

    “I have no hesitation in issuing an apology to the former prime minister for my being party to a scam and scandalous nonsense masquerading as the National Accountability Bureau,” Moussavi said, adding: “NAB is a fraud through and through.”

    Kaveh Moussavi repeated his apology addressing Nawaz Sharif directly. “I repeat it: Mr Sharif, we owe you an apology because Mr Sharif you clearly were the victim of a massive organised scandalous witch-hunt. There’s no question about that. When facts change, I change my views.”

    “Twenty-two years ago when Pervez Musharraf had asked us to investigate you, we were led to believe and we started investigating and at every turn we found that investigation was sabotaged not because we were getting close to things but because the intention was something else. That actually was a witch hunt and the intention was not to find any looted assets,” said Moussavi.

    Kaveh Moussavi revealed that he was in touch with Prime Minister Imran Khan through Shipping and Ports Minister Ali Zaidi and that he had evidence to prove his conversations with Ali Zaidi.

    “I was in direct contact with the government. I sat and had lunch with minister Shehzad Akbar directly in London. I had a telephone chat with another minister, Ali Zaidi, who was commissioned by Prime Minister Imran Khan to speak with me and to cooperate but they showed not a scintilla of evidence that they were interested in going after the stolen money,” said Broadsheet’s CEO.

    “They were interested in using whatever we found as a political capital against their enemies, which I am afraid, was my experience with the NAB right from day one. From day one we insisted that we are not going to be an instrument of witch-hunt. Very soon it became clear that the NAB was nothing but an instrument of witch-hunt – a very incompetent and corrupt one. The reason why Imran khan promised the moon and didn’t get anywhere was because they had no intention of going anywhere,” said Mousaavi.

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter and said, “Corruption allegations were made to keep him out of public life. Now the whole edifice of lies, deceit & character assassination stands demolished.”

  • VIDEO: ‘Lahore has been destroyed, we miss you,’ woman tells Shehbaz Sharif

    A woman stopped Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.

    In the video, the woman with her family can be seen having a conversation with the former Chief Minister of Punjab. She said, “My heart breaks to see garbage in Lahore. We not only want to see you in Lahore but in Pakistan. We miss you.”

    Shehbaz Sharif thanked her for her comments.

  • Nawaz would have been PM in 2018 if PML-N had a different strategy: Shehbaz Sharif

    Nawaz would have been PM in 2018 if PML-N had a different strategy: Shehbaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif says Nawaz Sharif would have been elected prime minister for a fourth time if the PML-N leaders had made a strategy based on consensus in the pre-2018 election period.

    Shehbaz was responding to a question by Saleem Safi on Geo News programme, ‘Jirga’, about whether or not he was offered prime ministership before the 2018 elections on the condition that he would abandon his brother Nawaz Sharif and niece Maryam Nawaz. 

    When asked why was he failing to convince Nawaz Sharif and Maryam of the need for reconciliation, Shehbaz Sharif said he believed in “natural reconciliation”. Shehbaz said he wanted everyone to set aside their personal egos and join hands to eradicate poverty from the country. He further added that every matter in the party is decided with consultation, and his viewpoint is known to everyone. 

    The former Punjab chief minister said he was offered the prime ministership twice over the last couple of decades, adding that one of these offers was made by former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and later, by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. 

    He said no single individual or a single institution was responsible for a weak democracy in the country, and “everyone is a culprit” [Is hamam me sab nangay hain].

    Shehbaz Sharif said that Imran Khan had failed to deliver despite being provided all-out support by the establishment. 

    Shehbaz Sharif rejected the notion that he was about to resign from the party’s presidency, describing it as “fake news”. 

    A report in Daily Jang published last week stated that Shehbaz was angry after his strategy for the Azad Kashmir elections was ignored, resulting in the party’s loss. Thus, he threatened to quit party leadership. “When I was finally allowed to speak during the budget session, after four days of chaos [in parliament], I said the budget is a fake one since the people’s pockets are empty. Similarly, just like the budget, this news report is also fake.”

    Shehbaz said that PML-N is his home and that Nawaz Sharif, every party leader, worker, and women [leaders] over the past 40 years have played their role in building the party. He also rejected the accusation that he helped his brother flee the country, saying that it was propaganda.

  • Shehbaz Sharif threatens to quit PML-N presidency

    Shehbaz Sharif threatens to quit PML-N presidency

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has threatened to quit party leadership, reports Daily Jang.

    Shehbaz has shown anger after his strategy for the Azad Kashmir elections was ignored, resulting in the party’s loss.

    Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz has reportedly stopped his father from stepping down.

    “Hamza has also assured Shehbaz of taking up this matter with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.”

    It is also being said that PMLN-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz will remain inactive for at least one year.

    When contacted for a comment, senior PML-N leaders, chairperson Raja Zafarul Haq, secretary-general Ahsan Iqbal, spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Ata Tarrar, did not attend phone calls.

    In May, senior anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada revealed that Shehbaz Sharif wants Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz to take a backseat from political activities and stay quiet. The focus should only be on the 2023 general elections. If Nawaz agrees to give full control to Shehbaz, then he will take all Opposition parties on board. He will then also hold a dialogue with the establishment. If Nawaz does not agree, Shehbaz will quit politics. He will not take part in any political activities after that.

  • Shehbaz to quit politics, Shahzeb Khanzada reveals details

    Who will lead the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and whose narrative will prevail in the future is being discussed within the party as per latest reports. Senior anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada revealed in his show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ on Thursday that there are serious concerns that the PML-N may face a split in the future due to the differences in political narrative between Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif’s camps.

    Maryam camp believes in taking forward Nawaz Sharif’s narrative while Shehbaz Sharif camp believes in reconciliation and not taking any institution head-on as well as focus on winning the 2023 general elections. As Nawaz Sharif is not in the country, he needs to decide which narrative should be taken forward by his party officially, otherwise, the PML-N may face a split. Senior leadership of the PML-N want Nawaz to take a categorical decision in this regard.

    Khanzada said they talked to senior PML-N leaders as well as those close to Shehbaz Sharif. Khanzada added that they asked Maryam Nawaz for her point of view.

    According to Shehbaz Sharif’s close aides, they want a free hand to be given to Shehbaz, target Imran Khan’s government, no confrontation with institutions and dialogue with institutions is needed in order to forge a roadmap where they stay within their constitutional limits. Shehbaz also wants Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) back in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and was unhappy with Maryam Nawaz and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s strongly worded statements against the PPP. He is against the show cause notice being served to the PPP and that the PPP should not be forced to resign from assemblies against its will.

    Sources say that Shehbaz Sharif wanted to go to London in order to talk to Nawaz Sharif face-to-face about all these issues. He wants Nawaz to decide who will be the next prime minister from PML-N, who will lead the party and whose narrative should be the official party position. He wants Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz to take a backseat from political activities and stay quiet. He does not want them to give anti-establishment statements anymore. The focus should only be on the 2023 general elections. If Nawaz agrees to give full control to Shehbaz, then he will take all Opposition parties on board. He will then also hold a dialogue with the establishment. If Nawaz does not agree, Shehbaz will quit politics. He will not take part in any political activities after that.

    PML-N leaders believe that while Maryam Nawaz is indeed a crowd puller, it is better to let Shehbaz resolve all issues before the elections. Maryam Nawaz does not agree to these conditions.

    After he was released from jail on bail, Shehbaz Sharif made it clear that all party meetings or jalsas will only take place with his permission. Maryam Nawaz did take a backseat since his release. Hamza and Shehbaz understand election campaigns and electoral politics while Maryam Nawaz does not, as per sources close to Shehbaz Sharif.

    When contacted by Khanzada’s team, Maryam Nawaz said there are no two camps within the party; only a difference of opinion exists. She said that it is not my narrative, it is Nawaz Sharif’s narrative. If they make her go quiet, Nawaz’s narrative will still go on. Maryam said it is wrong to say that the majority in the party believes in reconciliation. Things have improved not because of a soft stance but because of Nawaz Sharif’s narrative. PML-N won by-elections because of Nawaz.

    If reconciliation was an answer, then Hamza and Shehbaz Sharif would not have gone to jail in the first place. Shehbaz Sharif has his own views and this has been his view for decades but he will never go against his brother. When asked about the differences between Shehbaz and Maryam, she said she has no differences with Shehbaz. She said she does what Nawaz tells her to do. She is not in favour of any confrontation with institutions nor any deal.

  • UK court says Daily Mail allegations against Shehbaz ‘highest level of defamation’

    UK court says Daily Mail allegations against Shehbaz ‘highest level of defamation’

    A London court judge, Justice Sir Matthew Nicklin, has ruled that the words used in an article of Daily Mail for Shehbaz Sharif and his son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf are “slanderous, and constitute the highest level of defamation under United Kingdom (UK) law”.

    The judge declared that the article against Sharif and Yousaf, written by David Rose, constitutes Chase Level 1 defamation, which is considered the highest form of defamation law in the UK.

    On July 14, 2019, David Rose alleged that Shehbaz and his son-in-law were involved in money-laundering and embezzlement of British money meant for Pakistani citizens.

    Justice Nicklin remarked at the hearing that he analysed the material put before him by Daily Mail and Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyers. He was also aware of the proceeding happening in Pakistan, as per the judge. He said that “it is not for me to know. I would rather not know what is happening in Pakistan.”

    The publication’s lawyer quoted Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan advisor Shahzad Akbar’s statement that the money-laundering investigation started in Pakistan and it has led to multiple cases of corruption.

    In response, Shehbaz’s lawyer said that “the state has just proceeded with the investigation and now they are trying to tap the sources of these funds. It means that the investigation is far from complete, and Daily Mail had limited information at the time of the publication of the article”.

    The lawyer took the court through the entire article and said that the article is defamatory from the start till the end. It is also lacking evidence and making baseless allegations of fraud and money-laundering.

    Barrister Victoria Simon-Shore appeared for Shehbaz Sharif’s son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf. She told the court that her client rejected all allegations of corruption, misuse of funds, and money-laundering.

    She said, “The allegations in the article that Mr Yousaf mysteriously accumulated money because his in-laws were in power was far from the truth. The presumption of innocent till proven guilty applies.”

    After the recent developments, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) demanded the release of Shehbaz Sharif. Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “The decision of the London court is a testimony of the innocence of Shehbaz Sharif and PM Imran Khan being a proven liar.”

    She demanded an apology from PM Imran and his spokesperson because the president of the PML-N has been severely defamed, under British Law.

    “Those who have no self-respect, their only job is to malign the honourable people,” she added.

    In response, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar claimed that the PML-N is declaring a premature victory by giving the perception that Shehbaz Sharif has won the case.

    He further said, “It was just a meaning hearing, which means it was held to decide the meaning of the words complained of in the claim brought by Shehbaz.”

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Akbar accused Marriyum Aurangzeb of spreading misinformation. He challenged Shehbaz to file a defamation suit against him in London and he will present all the evidence.

    Akbar said that “misreporting was done by PML-N and some sections of the media to give the perception that Shehbaz had won something.”

    He also referred to David Rose’s tweets in which the journalist said that the hearing was “not a victory for anyone and was strictly preliminary.”