Maryam Nawaz tells why she was 'implicated' in corruption cases

ISLAMABAD:  Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday addressed a press conference to  read out one of the answers in her statement recorded  by the accountability court in Avenfiled corruption reference.Before reading the statement, she said her name  was not mentioned in the April 2016   verdict but  was later  implicated in the JIT investigation."From there cases against me were initiated. I responded to 127 answers  in the accountability court"To a question that why this case was formed against her, she said, “Despite not figuring anywhere in the Supreme Court’s judgment of April 20, 2017, the reason I was dragged into the case finds its origin in ‘will teach a lesson’ mindset, that has threatened, harassed and victimised who refuse to accept the excesses, those who had the courage to stand up to injustice and those who have dared to question the rotten, entrenched practice of bringing the elected prime ministers to their knees, on one pretext or the other, be it religion, corruption or even ‘ghaddari’.”She added: “Defiling them….disgracing them….harassing them…. pressurising them into submission….should they attempt to exercise or exert the authority conferred upon them by the Constitution.” The said reply is what Maryam added extempore to her earlier prepared reply.In Urdu, she also replied the question, and said that she knew why this corruption reference is being formed against her. She said it is just to pressurise her father who has refused to the dictates.“My implication in this case is prompted by mala fide intention and extraneous consideration, indeed, I have been falsely involved on account of my commitment to the political cause of true democracy, rule of law and constitution and for siding with my father who has on his credit excellent performance in terms of public welfare and wellbeing of the nation at the expense of illegal incarceration and exile for a number of years on account of political victimisation,” she said.She questioned why she is facing this case and why she had to appear again and again before a joint investigation team (JIT) that was formed through WhatsApp calls.“More than 70 times, I appeared before this court and still this is going on. I know why I am being kept away from my mother who is suffering from the fatal disease of cancer and I also know that in 70 years history of Pakistan no woman ever appeared before the court that much times. My only crime is that I am daughter of Nawaz Sharif, but just like brave and proud daughters of Pakistan, I am standing firm with my father. I am standing with his narrative. To put my father’s love for me to a test, the perpetrators have involved me in this case,” she said.Maryam said Nawaz Sharif is the one who refused to surrender before any kind of hardships, who refused to resign when guns took aimed at him, he refused world's pressure and make Pakistan a nuclear power and the one who bravely suffered every kind of atrocities being committed against him by Pervez Musharraf. She said the perpetrators knew that when a case would be formed against his daughter, she will be dragged into the court, a traditional father would succumb to pressure and would agree to their terms and conditions.“The people who think like this neither know Nawaz Sharif nor his daughter. My father has taken up the flag against the 70 years diseases faced by this country. He is struggling for the welfare of the people of Pakistan and to protect their right to vote and democracy,” she said.Maryam said that in our traditions, daughters are being respected alike but the perpetrators deviated from these traditions of ours. She said that Maryam is not a weakness but strength of her father and won’t let her father’s head bow down.Regarding the case, she said that it is a matter of record that although the trust deed declarations as well as the so-called BVI letters were available on the record in Panama case, similar nature of allegations against her were the subject matter, yet, the Supreme Court in its April 20, 2017 order did not include her or her husband in the respondents who were directed to appear and associate themselves with the JIT during investigation.“It stands amply demonstrated by now in this trial that the JIT was on an agenda to implicate the whole family by any means whatsoever. Wajid Zia has admitted that none of the witnesses examined by him has made any incriminating statement against me nor any other iota of evidence whatsoever was available with the JIT. The malice on the part of the JIT flouts on the surface, the manner of engaging Robert Radley through Quist Solicitor, sending of MLAs and receipt of suspect responses and concealment of response by BVI declining the MLA request speak volumes of malafide intention on the part of the JIT,” she said.Suffice it to say, that the JIT in its venom and quest to implicate me has even resorted to concoct and fabricate Maryam said that she had never interacted or had any dealing whatsoever with Mossack Fonseca.About various questions regarding different documents, Maryam raised questions about their admissibility and said that those could not be produced as evidence.About a certificate of Capital FZE, at which base, Nawaz was disqualified, Maryam said the said letter does not relate to her. She however said that this purported certificate is not admissible in evidence under any provision of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984, or any other law for the time being in force.About Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) letters, she also replied the same.Maryam repeated that she has nothing to do with the establishment of Gulf Steel Mill, its sale and investment with Qatari royals, transportation of steel mill machinery from Sharjah to Jeddah and establishment of steel mill there. She however said that there is no evidence worth name on record even to suggest that Qatari prince did not join investigation on her instigation and persuasion. She said Wajid Zia is manifesting his ingrained bias and inveterate hostility towards her in deposing that it was on her instigation and persuasion that the Qatari royal did not join investigation.“The evidence on record unequivocally establishes that Wajid Zia and the JIT members deliberately and maliciously maneuverer not to examine Hammad bin Jasim in support of his letters, and Wajid Zia even resorted to blatant lies to justify this glaring omission in the first instance on his part and on the part of JIT members,” she said.Maryam said that she produced the certified copies of trust deeds and her categorical stance is that the same were genuine. To a question that she didn’t have enough money to buy expensive properties, Maryam said she had never been the owner of the Avenfield properties. Hence, she said, the question of income to justify the acquisition is totally irrelevant.“As per my information, Avenfield properties were not purchased in early 1990s and it also was not purchased by Hussain Nawaz,” she said. She further said that despite availability of sufficient material on record of Minerva Service provider companies confirming the secretarial management of the companies Nescoll and Nielson, since their appointment under instructions of Hussain Nawaz, the JIT or the IO of NAB did not associate the management of Minerva Services Limited and other service provider companies with investigation with malafide intention to conceal true facts favourable to her.“I may add that the prosecution has miserably failed to bring on record an iota of evidence to show that I ever issued any instruction or interacted with Minerva or any other service provider company for secretarial management of Nescoll and Nielson,” she said.About the documents received and produced by NAB's director general operations, Maryam said these were inadmissible as these are not established to have been received in response to an MLA. To a question that why have the prosecution witnesses deposed against her, Maryam replied that the only witnesses who actually deposed against her are those relating to the NAB or the JIT, or witnesses especially engaged by the JIT.As regards Akhtar Raja, she said, he is first cousin of Wajid Zia and his ingrained hostility towards her and her family members is evident from the statement that he has made that he had set up Redley's meeting with NAB officials.

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