'Dual standards': PM Shehbaz criticises judiciary, urges equal justice for everyone

• PM Shehbaz calls out judiciary for its "dual standards" towards coalition govt.
• He adds that justice should be equal for everyone.
• "The times are tough but we will make Pakistan great by fighting this fascism," says PM.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday addressed a session of the National Assembly during which he took a swipe at the judiciary, calling it out for its "dual standards" towards the coalition government.

His comments came in response to the Supreme Court of Pakistan's decision of declaring Pervez Elahi the new chief minister of Punjab and removing PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz from the office, calling the ruling of the deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly during the CM's election "illegal". Moreover, the SC had also rejected the coalition government's petition to form a full court to hear the case.

The prime minister said that justice should be equal for everyone, and added: "I respect the judiciary but one has to speak the truth on the floor of the National Assembly. The judiciary cannot treat me differently from someone else."

Talking about the PTI's foreign funding case, PM Shehbaz said that the verdict related to the case has not been announced even after eight years. "Did anyone take suo motu notice of that case over the last eight years?" he questioned.

"The PTI government provided sugar subsidies worth billions of rupees during its term and made the worst decisions during its tenure, struck deals with IMF and then ruined them, and brought Pakistan to the verge of default. But did anyone take notice of all this?" the PM said.

"The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) closed Moonis Elahi's and the Malam Jabba case, there was embezzlement in the BRT Peshawar Project, however, no one took notice of that," added the prime minister.

"The ladla (favourite) was treated as a blue-eyed boy and the support he received throughout his tenure, no one has ever gotten this kind of backing in the last 75 years," said PM Shehbaz.

He went on to say that the court should make a decision while considering the truth and justice.

'Country can't progress without justice'

The prime minister went on to say that the country cannot progress if there is no justice. "The times are tough but we will make Pakistan great by fighting this fascism," he added.

PM Shehbaz said that he will keep trying as long as he has the confidence of the party, coalition leaders, and the House. "No matter what happens, I will be the same servant of Pakistan, the same Shehbaz Sharif," he highlighted.

Talking about the country's situation, he said: "I cannot sleep at night thinking why we’re behind other countries in terms of progress. Even 75 years later, we have still not decided our path."

"They [PTI] sent a letter via WhatsApp stating that Russia will give cheap oil, while the Russian government denied any such offer," he said while berating the PTI government.

"The government got an offer a day before tomorrow from Russia for purchasing of wheat. We have also made a counter offer," said the premier, adding that his government will buy wheat from Russia if they will provide it at low rates. 

'Focus on state, not politics'

PM Shehbaz said that the Constitution of Pakistan was drafted under the leadership of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and presented Pakistan as a strong, dynamic country before the world.

The Constitution will continue to guide and strengthen Pakistan no matter how much someone tries to meddle with it, said the PM.

Talking about the 2018's General Elections, PM Shehbaz said that those polls were the worst in the country's history. "Those polls imposed a government through the process of rigging," he added.

"The Results Transmission System (RTS) was closed at night and the counting of votes was stopped on the order of the former chief justice," he added.

PM Shehbaz berated the PTI-led government and said it took loans of more than Rs20,000 billion in three-and-a-half years, adding that millions of people lost their jobs and became homeless during the PTI's tenure.

The premier further said that the coalition government knew that Pakistan was on the verge of default, and for that, the government decided to save the state rather than focusing on political point-scoring.

"I was offered to become the prime minister by a president in 1992; Musharraf also offered me the PM's post, and when Nawaz Sharif offered me the premiership, I chose to serve Punjab instead to complete the mega projects," said the premier, adding that he had many opportunities to become the prime minister in the past.

'Maximum relief'

Moreover, the prime minister announced maximum relief to the masses affected by rains in Balochistan and other parts of the country.

PM Shehbaz said that the coalition government was aware of the destruction caused by the rains and added that for this purpose, it has held meetings with all the provincial governments.

He said that the provincial governments are working day and night in areas where people lost their lives and suffered economically due to the rains.

"The federal government has decided to increase the relief package for those affected by the rains," the premier said, adding that a meeting will take place tomorrow to discuss the provision of relief to the people.

The premier said that the federal government will work with the provincial governments to overcome the losses and help the farmers who suffered the most.