Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Mian Javed Latif has been booked under a treason case over his ‘anti-state’ speech, a private TV channel reported on Saturday.
The case has been registered at the Township Police Station Lahore over the complaint of a citizen named Jameel Saleem. According to the first information report (FIR), Javed Latif deliberately defamed the state institutions and carried out hate speech. The complainant stated that the statement of the PML-N stalwart created hate among people, and urged the authorities to take action against the MNA under Pakistan Prevention of Electronic Crime Act.
It is to be noted that Javed Latif had said during a current affairs show on a private TV channel that if anything happened to PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N will not say ‘Pakistan Khappay’ (Long Live Pakistan).
Latif had made the remarks during a TV show to protest an alleged threat to Maryam by an army officer. His remarks had sparked a controversy among the ranks of the government, and Punjab Prisons Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had vowed to get a case registered against Latif. Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had also chided the PML-N leadership for levelling false allegations against state institutions for their benefit. She had said that by levelling allegations against state institutions, the PML-N was not serving the national cause. Such baseless allegations won’t damage Pakistan and its institutions, but would expose Latif and other such “courtiers”, she had said.
A few hundred people had also staged a demonstration against Latif at Liberty Chowk on Sunday. Raising slogans against the PML-N MNA, the protesters had burnt effigies of Latif and Maryam.
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Saturday that Javed Latif did not utter a single word against state institutions, but should still apologise for his remarks.
The former prime minister was speaking to the media in Karachi when he came to the defence of his colleague. However, he maintained that he did not agree with Latif’s statement. “I didn’t hear any statement of his against national institutions,” said Abbasi, adding that Latif had said he might not be able to say Pakistan khappay (long live Pakistan) if anything happened to party Vice President Maryam Nawaz during a television programme.
Abbasi said Latif had uttered the remarks after getting carried away, and that he disagreed with the statement. “He should apologise”.
Abbasi also said there was no need to appease PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari because “he is not angry with us and we are not angry with him”. He reiterated that the PPP leader had the right to share his opinion. He said Zardari had a right to his opinion and “we respect it”. If Zardari was successful in running the affairs of the country in accordance with the Constitution, then according to Abbasi, “we are with him”.
Abbasi said if Zardari provided leadership and counsel in this matter to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) then it would lead to “success and more success”.
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s decision to postpone the long march was wrong. In a media talk in Lahore on Saturday, Sanaullah said the long march will be held after Eidul Fitr. “We should have continued the long march, the cancellation of the long march was wrong. But we will sacrifice them [the PTI government] before Eidul Azha,” he said.
