Maryam Criticises DG ISPR For ‘Politicising’ Zubair Umar’s ‘Personal Meeting’ With COAS Bajwa

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz criticised a recent statement of the military spokesperson, wherein he talked about a meeting between Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair.

"Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar should keep himself to issuing statements on bigger issues, such as national security, instead of talking about a 'personal meeting' between Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair," Maryam said in response to a question.

Addressing a press conference after the arrest of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, the PML-N leader said the ISPR chief shouldn't have commented on a 'personal meeting' between 'two friends'. "The ISPR chief shouldn't have politicised a personal meeting," she went on to add.


Speaking about the arrest of the party president, Maryam Nawaz said the arrest of Shehbaz would further add fuel to the fire.

"I don't have an iota of doubt that Shehbaz Sharif was not arrested for corruption or accountability. A reference against him was ongoing and he was arrested in the middle," she said, adding that the only reason Shehbaz was arrested was that he stood by his brother Nawaz Sharif despite the pressure.

The PML-N leader said Shehbaz remained loyal and committed to his brother's cause and didn't 'waiver' for a second. "His wife and children were made absconders, [his son] Hamza is in jail and has corona," Maryam said.

Speaking about the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, the PML-N vice president said that pre-poll rigging was being carried out in Gilgit-Baltistan.

"Whether the PML-N wins or loses, we won't let you get away with it so easily. If you want to do [political] engineering and you want to steal these elections then you will have to do it in front of the people's eyes. You can't do it secretly so the repercussions of this will be also for you along with the PML-N," she said.

Earlier in the day, Maryam Nawaz questioned the arrest of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in a money laundering case, saying if the government would have arrested former general Asim Saleem Bajwa and his family over corruption if ‘there were accountability and justice in this country’.

In a series of tweets, Maryam Nawaz responded to the arrest of the former chief minister of Punjab, saying: “Make no mistake. Shehbaz Sharif has been arrested only because he refused to play in the hands of those who wanted to use him against his brother. He preferred standing behind prison bars than to stand against his brother.”


National Assembly Leader of Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected his bail in a money laundering case. Shehbaz was taken into custody from the court’s premises, where a large number of PML-N workers and supporters had gathered ahead of the hearing.