ISLAMABAD: Lashing out at Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday over his comments regarding the possible arrest of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said that his predecessor Sheikh Rashid’s current predicament should be considered before making such remarks.
The country has suffered the impact of conspiracies against Nawaz, said Sanaullah, adding that the Almighty’s blessings and the force of the public were with the three-time former premier.
He warned Bugti to look at Rashid’s current state – the latter was detained earlier this month and has not been produced before the courts yet.
“Implicating Nawaz in false cases was tantamount to enmity with the country and its people,” claimed Sanaullah.
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He advised Bugti against attempting to increase his “stature” by building rhetoric against the PML-N supremo. “Don’t worry about Nawaz. He has faced both prisons and the forces. You worry about your own work. It won’t be the federal government or the interior minister who will decide where Nawaz will go when he lands at the airport on October 21, but the public.”
Sanaullah further claimed that Nawaz has always abided by the courts and will do so again.
The former interior minister’s remarks were seconded by PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, who took to X, formerly Twitter, to caution Bugti against exceeding his “political stature”.
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She advised the interim interior minister to use his resources to provide security and peace to the people. Nawaz is “for life” while Bugti is in office temporarily, she said, reminding the latter that the PML-N supremo has occupied the prime minister’s office thrice.
Nawaz’s arrival, possible arrest
Meanwhile, Bugti issued a clarification regarding remarks he made during a news segment broadcast by a private media outlet, earlier this week.
Bugti was reported to have said that a huge force would not be required to arrest one accused from the airport but Nawaz would not want to be arrested.
Later, the interim minister said that his comment was given a “political color” and was “taken out of context”, Express News reported.
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“The caretaker government does not have any political agenda,” he said, welcoming Nawaz’s return to the country’s political sphere.
Nawaz will be treated according to the law, said Bugti, adding that a large section of the public awaits his return.
The minister further said that the state has its own process for the return of any accused person. “Nawaz is a former prime minister returning to the country. He has cases pending against him in courts and the interior ministry has nothing to do with that,” said Bugti.
He said that the state has its own arrangements for the return of any accused, Nawaz Sharif is the former prime minister who is returning to the country and the cases are pending in the courts and the Ministry of Interior has nothing to do with this matter. The statement was given a political color even though the caretaker government has no political agenda.
The three-time former premier is slated to return from the United Kingdom on October 21, after roughly four years.
Nawaz, who is embattled in various cases, including the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Avenfield, Al-Azizia and Hill Metal and the Flagship references, had left for his current abode in London in December 2019 on the pretext of a medical ailment after the Lahore High Court had granted him permission to travel abroad for four weeks.
