LAHORE – The PTI government in Punjab province has directed the jailauthorities to remove the air conditioner from the cell of deposed primeminister Nawaz Sharif following the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The following directions of Prime Minister have been intimated forimplementation and report. No preferential treatment be given to thecriminals and money launders in the prison in Punjab,” stated a letterwritten by Punjab Home Department to the inspector general of the prison onJuly 17.
It came after PM Khan while addressing the Pakistani community in the US onSunday announced to withdraw the facilities of air conditioners andtelevisions from jailed politicians including Nawaz Sharif, who isimprisoned in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, as well as the Pakistan PeoplesParty (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
“Nawaz Sharif wants food from home in jail, he wants air conditioning injail. But in a country where half the population has no air conditioning orTV, what kind of punishment would this be?,” said Imran Khan on July 21,while addressing Pakistani diaspora during his three-day visit to theUnited States.
“I am going to go back and make sure there is no air conditioning or TV forNawaz Sharif who is a criminal. I know (PML-N leader) Maryam Bibi will makesome noise, but I say to her, return the money. It’s as simple as that,” headded.
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The move solely aims to put more pressure on the opposition leaders toadmit corruption and surrender the money “plundered from public” to fill inthe national exchequer.
Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, which is being led by hisdaughter Maryam Nawaz and brother Shehbaz Sharif has warned it would beequivalent to putting the ex-premier’s life in danger.
The 69-year-old politician was convicted in the Al Azizia Steel Mills caseand sentenced to seven years in jail.
