LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz, PML-N’s chief organizer and Punjab chief ministerial candidate, on Sunday warned that legal action would be taken against those inciting the bureaucracy to break the law – indirectly referring to the PTI.
Maryam, senior vice-president of PML-N and daughter of its supremo Nawaz Sharif, wrote on social media platform X that threatening the bureaucracy meant creating chaos in the state system and open leniency in this practice was an invitation to disaster.
Addressing the bureaucracy, Maryam said police officers should not be intimidated by threats and perform their duties in accordance with the law.
The PML-N leader went on to say that those who threaten the security of officers will be dealt with “iron hands”.
She promised to ensure the safety of the police officers.
In a related development, PML-N leader Malik Ahmad Khan accused PTI of inciting hatred against government officials and urged the caretaker government to crack down on the party.
At a press conference in Lahore accompanied by party leaders Ataullah Tarar and Uzma Bukhari, Malik Ahmad said Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha, who resigned a day earlier after alleging that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa was involved in “rigging” the recent general elections and was never a party to the electoral process.
He added that Commissioner Rawalpindi was neither a Returning Officer (RO) nor a District Returning Officer (DRO) and had nothing to do with the election process.
In fact, he pointed out that the Rawalpindi Commissioner did not even hold a post in the ECP.
He alleged that amid all this, a dangerous campaign was launched where photos of various DROs and their families were shared on social media.
“Hate is being fueled in a way that threatens their lives,” he continued.
It is pertinent to mention that both the ECP and CJP Isa denied the claims of the Rawalpindi Commissioner.
Separately, PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique stressed the urgent need for the party to reflect on its missteps and correct them and suggested it take a leaf from PTI founder chairman Imran Khan’s book on using social media effectively.
Addressing party activists in Lahore, Rafique claimed that there was no complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner but injustice was done to his constituency.
“My constituency was torn apart during the election.
Appreciating PTI’s social media team, the PML-N leader said the former prime minister has the power of a strong digital media presence and reiterated that “our party should identify the mistakes and correct them”.
“Project Imran was prepared in 2010 and the seeds of hatred were sown. It should be clear who has sown these seeds of hatred and efforts are being made to weaken Pakistan from abroad,” he asserted.
“How does anyone accept an election in this atmosphere of bitterness?”
He asked whether his party had won in Punjab, whether there was any manipulation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.
The PML-N leader went on to say years later that a CJP has arrived who “does not believe in the doctrine of necessity”.
“Imran Khan wants Chief Justice and Army Chief in his pocket. I request Imran to find out where the mistakes are. He [Imran] will have to give up the politics of hatred.”
The PML-N leader feared that if one did not yield to the other, this “fragile” democracy would have its “last chance”.
