QUETTA: Maryam Nawaz, Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)opened her address to third anti-government power show of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Quetta, with reference to events in France connected to blasphemous caricatures.
Maryam Nawaz arrived at the jalsa, Ayub Stadium, paying homage to Baloch culture by wearing a traditionally embroidered frock. “A journalist asked me, what message am I trying to give by wearing this Balochi dress,” she said. “I told him that I want to convey that I love the people of Balochistan more than the people of Punjab.”
As with the other leaders, Maryam too turned to appeal to the youth of Balochistan. “Some of the Baloch students, who were given scholarships in the universities of Punjab by the PML-N government, they thanked me,” she said. “I want to tell you, my brothers and sisters of Quetta, the kids of Balochistan are as dear to me as of any other province.”
She too spoke of the forcibly disappeared. “I know that young people are picked up from here, and at times their mutilated bodies are found but often they go missing forever,” she said. “When I was sitting on the stage, a little girl came to me crying, a young girl, Aseeba Kamrani from Quetta, her three brothers were picked up from their home and even after so many years there’s no news of them.”
The little girl showed Maryam Nawaz pictures of her brothers and said they were the only hope of her elderly parents. “There was no tear in my eyes when I was put in jail,” said Maryam. “My mother died but I didn’t cry, my father was sent to jail twice but I didn’t cry, but I heard that girl’s story, it brought tears to my eyes.”
The PDM comprises 11 opposition parties and has vowed to run an anti-government campaign across the country. It has already held two rallies in Gujranwala and Karachi and will hold another in Peshawar.
Have some fear, she went on to say. “You also have kids, try to put yourself in her shoes,” she said. “For the sake of Allah, have some sense. Don’t treat your own people like this. They think that the people of Balochistan don’t have the right to elect their own representatives. Someone else will take the decision about the government, chief minister and ministers not the people of Balochistan.”
Being here in Balochistan remind me of a son of Balochistan, who was among Quaid-e-Azam’s most trusted people: Qazi Muhammad Isa, Maryam went on to say. “One of his sons is now a judge of the Supreme Court. He’s the only from Balochistan among 17 SC judges. Congratulations to you all that you raised a voice for him and the SC verdict that just came says that the reference against him was mala fide.”
“The ones who tried to malign judges and dismiss them, let’s tell Imran Khan selected and his selectors that they should resign on this historic defeat.”
Maryam Nawaz then turned to speak of Asim Saleem Bajwa. “He’s been a King here [in Balochistan],” she said. “He has played with the sanctity of the vote here. He has been making political parties by the name of MAA and BAP.”
“Now it’s time to change the fate of Pakistan, Balochistan,” she said.” Certificates of treason won’t be distributed. No one will go missing. There will be operations with gunship helicopters. Your resources won’t be exploited. No one will have the courage to play with the sanctity of the vote.”
