Page 52 - 30NOV2019EA

Six-year-old rhetoric dies

as Imran Khan lets Sharif

travel to London

Amid reports of Imran’s off-shore financial deals, Nawaz Sharif reaches London
for treatment. That too without submitting a surety, wonders gopal misra

here is an element of sur- purpose that it brought the present Headquarters (GHQ), the headquarters
prise among the Pakistan incumbent Imran Khan to face the of the Pakistani army, was also alarmed
watchers that how Paki- complexities of governance. Khan had that a number of illegal financial deals
stan’s three times prime to announce that he has full support of during the current regime too are being
T minister, Nawaz Sharif, the army, though it was obvious that in rumored around.
jailed under the pretext of alleged cor- all crucial national and international It was also realized that Sharif is no
ruption charges, could be permitted meetings, the presence of the army Bhutto, a leader from Sindh, who could
to fly to London for treatment that too chief Bajwa could not be ignore. be hanged by the Punjabi-dominated
without submitting a surety as financial Few took the march seriously that it armed forces under a managed judici-
bonds to the tune of millions of dollars. would oust Khan from the power, but it ary. Nawaz Sharif and his party has a
The media reports, if could be believed, acted as a safety valve to express anger strong constituency in Punjab (Paki-
that a reluctant, Imran Khan ultimately against the government. He was also stan), which provides maximum sol-
conceded to the demand of allowing able to serve the religious constituency diers to the army. In this background,
Sharif to fly to London for treatment. of Pakistan, which is not keen for better Sharif could not be allowed to die
That too without giving any financial governance in the country. The issue of without adequate medical care. Sha-
surety! Thus, the months of October massive corruption against Sharif and rif was approached that if he and his
and November were crucial. his party Pakistan Union of Muslim family return the huge public funds
The much-trumpeted “Azadi March” League (PUL-Noon) got diluted. The siphoned off during his tenure, he
of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the chief political movement against the gov- might be pardoned, but he reiterated
of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, could be de- ernment did not project any accept- that the Khan government is acting
scribed as a non-starter in the murky able civilian face, which could replace in vendetta against him. The govern-
politics of Pakistan, but it served a Imran Khan. The all-powerful General ment’s demand for indemnity bonds as

• Health wealth Nawaz was recently taken to
private hospital in London for check-up

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