GUJRAT: APakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader on Sunday asked rhetorically if the Sharifs "visit courts for cake and tea", assuming, as the scandal-embroiled family claims, that the allegations of corruption against them were false.
While addressing a women workers' convention here in the city, Qamar Zaman Kaira of the PPP made adverse statements against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N),the ruling party, saying that its Quaid, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was leaning on his daughter to save himself.
"Adiala Jail awaits Nawaz Sharif now that he has been caught," Kaira said, adding that the PML-N leader was relying on his children for self-protection.
Attempting to compare Maryam Nawaz, Sharif's daughter,with Benazir Bhutto, the PPP leader said: "[Zulfikar Ali] Bhutto's daughter followed in her father's footsteps.
"Bhutto's daughter sacrificed herself for the country."
Further, Kaira went on to refute Sharif's claim of the number of votes he had received. "Nawaz Sharif is lying about getting votes of the country's 200 million people.
"In reality, [he] had only bagged 10 million votes."
The Constitution and law give the Supreme Courtof Pakistan the right to hand out punishments, he stressed, before asking: "If the corruption cases [against the Sharif family] are false, do they visit the court for cake and tea"?
The Sharifs have, to date, been unable to prove that the accusations made against them are false,Kaira claimed, adding that the Senate elections earlier this year showed that the general elections will be held on time.
On a separate note, Kaira also talked about the issue of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's treatment at a US airport.
"Do not make issues out of the prime minister's search at the United States' airport.
PM Abbasi "was searched just like any other citizen," he explained.