Pakistan: Govt will pay heavy price for assault against PML-N leaders

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PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Sunday warned the government that it will have to pay a heavy price for the way the PML-N leaders were assaulted a day earlier outside parliament. Violence broke out on Saturday as a session of the National Assembly convened for a vote of confidence in the prime minister. PTI and PML-N members exchanged hot words which escalated to an exchange of physical blows.

Maryam's words came as she addressed a media conference following a meeting between the party leadership.

She said, a discussion took place on the long march, the Daska by-election, the NA-249 by-election and the candidate to field in the race. The party will not take this lying down. The disrespect shown to senior leadership will not be tolerated. The PML-N vice president denounced the assault on Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Miftah Ismail, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Khurram Dastagir and Musadik Malik which took place in front of cameras and said there was great anger within the party ranks over the matter. You can keep this lecture you like to give us on ethics and morality to yourselves. You will have to pay a heavy price for this. If you slap us twice, we will slap you ten times.

Maryam said that the thuggery displayed, especially with Marriyum Aurangzeb is a debt on each PML-N member one that they know full well how to pay. The political landscape that has developed since the prime minister took his fake trust vote was discussed in great detail, as was the Chairman Senate polls

She then proceeded to discuss in greater detail what had been deliberated in the meeting of senior party leadership.

Maryam claimed that it was everyone's consensus that the way the vote was forcibly taken yesterday with a sword put to everyone's throats. The exercise has no legal standing, no constitutional standing, no political standing and no moral standing.

She cast aspersions on PTI lawmakers having voted against party lines and in favour of opposition-backed candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani in the race for the Islamabad general Senate seat and then all of a sudden voting for the prime minister two days later.

She asked, What prompted such a thing, that they changed their decision?

She said, The decision did not change [on its own]. It was forcibly changed. The night before the no-trust vote, the entire Parliament Lodges had been turned into a bunker as if it is North Waziristan. The entire night you kept a watch on your MNAs with drone cameras. this is besides the lack of trust being expressed from the people of all four provinces.

The PML-N vice president said it was unprecedented" that a leader, despite being in power, had been voted against by his own party members.

Maryam went on to claim that the party is in touch with two MNAs who were unwilling to cast their vote but were forcibly kept in a container in a Golra compound.

The PML-N said that the prime minister "knows that if he did not do any of this, he would not have won. All of this only means that Imran Khan, you know that your time is up. You know that it is over for you.

Maryam also announced PML-N's Miftah Ismail's candidacy for the NA-249 by-election to be held in Karachi. All other matters pertaining to the Senate chairman election will be announced following the Pakistan Democratic Movement meeting convened tomorrow.

The PML-N vice president also regretted that the prime minister had spoken out against the Election Commission of Pakistan and claimed that there were placards held by PTI goons yesterday that had naked words of abuse displayed against the Chief Election Commissioner.

She said the PML-N had always criticised character, not institutions and within the norms of decency.