Nawaz should hold Shehbaz responsible for inflation, says Elahi

• Elder Sharif is trying to become “Nelson Mandela”, says Elahi. 
• Says “elections date will be announced due to Supreme Court”.
• No one can even think of rigging in the upcoming elections, he says. 

Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi on Tuesday took a jibe at PML-N supremo Nawaz, who recently returned to the country after ending a four-year self-imposed exile in London, saying “Nelson Mandela” should first hold his brother Shehbaz Sharif responsible for skyrocketing inflation in the country.

During its 16-month tenure, PM Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government had failed to meet the promises made to the masses and left behind a massive fiscal deficit and high inflation.

During his interactions with journalists at Gujranwala and Islamabad courts, Elahi — while taking a jibe at Nawaz — said that the elder Sharif was trying to become “Nelson Mandela”.

Responding to a question, the PTI president said that the caretakers would have to hold elections, adding the PTI would prove its popularity in the polls.

Blasting the former PDM-led government, Elahi said that people were compelled to commit suicides due to high inflation.

“Elections’ date will be announced due to the Supreme Court,” he remarked.

The PTI president further said that Sharif would not be able to rig the upcoming elections, adding, “No one can even think of rigging in the [upcoming] elections.”

Earlier today, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi extended Elahi’s judicial remand in the Judicial Complex attack case till November 21. ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hasan heard the case.

Elahi was initially arrested on June 1 from outside his residence in a Rs70 million graft case related to the embezzlement of development funds allocated for the Gujrat district. Since then, the former Punjab chief minister has been released several times only to be arrested immediately in different cases. 

Judicial complex riots

On March 18, PTI workers suddenly began pelting stones at the authorities inside the premises of the Federal Judicial Complex during party chief Imran Khan’s appearance before different courts in connection with multiple cases filed against him.

The former prime minister came with hoards of people — who had wooden sticks and stones in their hands — from the opposite side of the road in violation of Section 144.

The situation resulted in injuring 52 police and personnel of other assisting forces, said the police, adding that the PTI workers also damaged 12 Islamabad police vehicles.

Three police vehicles of the Punjab police and Frontier Corps (FC) were also damaged by agitated workers. Moreover, the workers also set fire to four cars of the federal police which were completely burned, added the police.