ISLAMABAD : Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday called the explosive affidavit by former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Muhammad Shamim “the third major testimony from within the judiciary” that she claimed proved her and her father Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s innocence. She said that the first notice on the testimony of justice (retd) Rana Muhammad Shamim should have been served to former chief justice of Pakistan justice (retd) Mian Saqib Nisar. She said Mian Saqib Nisar should be aware if a testimony comes then testimony is required in its response. She said that three judges submitted testimony in favour of Nawaz Sharif’s innocence but the decision is still intact.

She was speaking outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which conducted a hearing on Maryam’s appeal seeking annulment of her conviction in the Avenfiled apartments reference. Maryam Nawaz said that we did not want to secure the support of those, in result of support of whom the in-house change comes, adding that we are seeing towards the masses and want that the decision of next government should be made by the Pakistani masses. She said that in a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had come into existence, it has reached its end like same way and it has competed its life and it was on ventilator and oxygen from the very first day.

“We knew that the oppressors’ days were numbered but we didn’t expect the truth would come to light so soon, ” said Maryam Nawaz said. She named former IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and the late accountability judge Muhammad Arshad Malik as the other two “witnesses” who spoke the truth [about Nawaz’s innocence].

“Instead of his statement being taken seriously, he [Siddiqui] was expelled from service. His case was then referred to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and he is waiting for justice, ” she said, alleging the case of Arshad Malik was “deliberately ignored”.

“The man who had announced the conviction [in the Al Azizia reference] gave a statement expressing the truth about Nawaz Sharif in his life.”

She questioned why a former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar was exempted from court appearance, especially when three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif never objected to appearing in courts in cases against him.

She said Nawaz Sharif’s innocence was proven by three judges, “but the verdict against him is still intact and the nation is watching all of this.”

The PML-N leader said the former GB judge made his statement under oath and had also asked Nisar to submit his response in the same manner, but the latter “ran away”.

She accused the former CJP of targeting PML-N leaders for the framing of contempt-of-court charges to “stop them from contesting elections”.

“Talal Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz and many others were targeted through suo moto notices, ” she alleged. “They were thrown out of electoral competition under a plan because he [ex-CJP] knew these people will be elected to strengthen the electoral muscle of the PML-N.”

She also called the statement of former CJP Nisar declaring PM Imran Khan ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’ (honest and righteous) a “biggest sin”. She held the former top judge responsible for “all the crisis Pakistan is facing today”.

“I request the people who were a part of a conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif that ‘Project Imran Khan’ is nothing more than humiliation and destruction, and they must undo historic injustices doled out to him. He (Sharif) suffered oppression for five years. It’s enough. Release him now, ” she appealed.

Pervez Musharraf’s death sentence was abolished; Imran Khan has placed Pakistan on the verge of destruction with his incompetence, Maryam Nawaz commented.

Maryam Nawaz hoped that Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah will allow truth coming in front of masses in matter of justice (retd) Rana Shamim’s statement and will not term the truth as contempt and will also remove the hurdles in the way of truth. Maryam said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has sought two weeks time in her case as they have no answer of anything.

PML-N leaders Parvez Rashid, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Talal Chaudhry, Danial Aziz, Azma Zahid Bukhari, Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Nihal Hashmi, Hina Parvez Butt, Sania Ashiq Jabeen and others were also present on the occasion.