Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the accountability court in Islamabad should delay announcing the verdict in the Avenfield properties
referencetill the time he is able to return to the country.
Talking to reporters in London, the ex-prime minister said he wants to hear the judgement of the case while standing in the courtroom where he “endured more than 100 hearings” with his daughter Maryam Nawaz.
Sharif said Pakistan has had a history of verdicts remaining “unnecessarily” reserved for months, hence delaying the judgement of the Avenfield case for a few days “considering an extremely sensitive matter” would not violate any requisite of justice or law. “I want to hear this judgement while standing in the courtroom, amidst my people [and] holding them as witnesses,” he said, adding that his lawyer will submit a formal application in the court requesting it to delay the announcement of the verdict. Sharif said the mission he has taken up is not an easy one, but that he is ready to give any sacrifice for the sake of people’s right to rule and to honour their vote. “I am not a military dictator who would run away in fear,” the ousted prime minister said, adding that he will not disappoint the nation by showing any cowardice.
“The people are going to announce the decision bigger than all decisions on July 25,” he said in a reference to the general elections scheduled for later this month.
Sharif further said “those with the jeep [symbol]” — a reference to dissidents and other independents contesting on the jeep symbolagainst the PML-N — and others impeding the people’s rule “will become an example” after the poll.
The former premier said he will “immediately” return to Pakistan as soon as his wife Kulsoom Nawaz’s health condition improves and will face the consequences whether the verdict comes out in his favour or not. He said he wishes to see his wife conscious and talk to her before returning to the country. Source: Dawn.com
NDMA sends out monsoon alert, expects more urban flooding in Lahore, Rawalpindi
The death toll from two days of heavy monsoon rains in upper parts of the country has risen to 15, officials said on Wednesday. The heaviest rains seen in Lahore since 1980 continued into Wednesday, flooding streets and causing some residents to join small demonstrations against local authorities. Rescue officials and police confirmed the death toll, saying most deaths were caused by electrocution and homes caving in. The city’s submerged stre¬ets and widespread power breakdowns exposed the lack of preparedness of civic departments to deal with the monsoon downpour.
A large sinkhole has also appeared on the Mall Road near GPO Chowk. It has filled with rainwater and it is feared that the water may affect the underground Orange Line Metro station nearby. The destruction has been caused by heavy downpours that dumped 177 mm of rainwater on the city over the past 24 hours.
In light of the situation, the NDMA has also sent out a monsoon alert, warning that more rainfall is expected in the next 48 to 72 hours. According to the NDMA, there may be flooding in the River Ravi and areas connected to it. The alert has also said that there may be some urban flooding in Rawalpindi as well.
Reactions to flooding
According to DawnNewsTV, citizens are unable to leave their houses due to heavy flooding on streets and main roads. Irked citizens were quick to remind former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif about his claims that his government has turned Lahore into Paris.
One user said:
“Finally Shahbaz Sharif succeeded in making Lahore into a European city. But its Venice, not Paris.”
Shahbaz Sharif, on the other hand, tweeted that he would be cancelling his meeting with the workers convention in Kasur due to “incessant rain” and that he hopes “that the caretaker administration is taking care of you in such torrential rains.” Source: Dawn.com
Rain has exposed development facade: Imran
LAHORE: Shahbaz Sharif does not face people because he knows how will people react to his development gimmickry, which now stands exposed, says PTI chief Imran Khan, who visited the inundated low-lying areas in the central part of the city.
Standing in the rainwater at Lakshmi and GPO Chowk where he went to see the situation, he said the first shower of the season had exposed the entire development narrative, which, the PTI has always maintained, was limited to newspapers and television advertisements only.
“Shahbaz will now face people’s wrath if he comes out of his secure abodes,” Imran warned. Instead of true development, he only led money-making effort. The development effort was limited to Jati Umra only, which might have become part of Paris but city certainly does not deserve that title, he told the media.
Talking about the coming elections, he said people should take it a God-gifted opportunity to get rid of these “Pharaohs,” who did nothing but make money.
Taliban commander killed in suspected US drone strike near Pak-Afghan border
A suspected US drone strike on Wednesday killed an alleged Pakistani Taliban commander and his associate near the Afghan border, security officials said.The drone targeted commander Qari Abdullah Dawar, as he was walking with his associate near their mountain hideout located on zero point on the Pak-Afghan border near North Waziristan.
According to the officials, the slain militants were from the Gul Bahadur group, which had carried out attacks inside Afghanistan.Last month, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan Province Kunar.According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Mullah Fazal Ullah was “hiding in Afghanistan since 2009”.
The ISPR had termed the killing of Mullah Fazlullah “a positive development”, adding that the TTP leader’s death “gives relief to scores of Pakistani families who fell victims to TTP terror including the APS massacre”.North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups.
