Nawaz says he will not escape from 'so-called accountability process'

Disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that he would not escape from the "so-called accountability process" and insisted that he has not done anything against his conscience. In an informal chat with media persons after a consultative meeting at Punjab House which was also attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and others, Nawaz said that he was appearing before the courts because he has respect for the judiciary.
"I had been facing the political victimization in the past as well and we are not those who escape the accountability process, but we are here appearing before the courts for the so-called accountability," he said before leaving for Murree. He said that he had faced the courts in the past and would continue to appear before the courts. "Those who wanted to evade the court proceedings have already fled," he added.
He stated that he had to remain in exile for seven years but he remained in touch with the people. "My conscience is quite clear as I have not done anything wrong or against my conscience," he said. Nawaz also thanked his party workers for being always there to support him, adding he was nothing without the support of the people and the party workers.
Earlier, the party insiders said that the consultative meeting discussed the overall political situation of the country and the participants that also included Prime Minister and other PML-N leaders suggested that Nawaz Sharif had been "a victim of revenge politics" in the past as well. The sources said that Prime Minister Abbasi also briefed the former premier on the prevailing political situation as well as the efforts with the political parties for making consensus on the proposed the constitutional amendment for delimitations under the new population census.
They said that Speaker National Assembly also apprised Nawaz Sharif of his interactions with parliamentary parties leaders with regard to the new delimitations, and the reservations voiced by PPP, PTI and MQM in this regard. It was decided that all the opposition political parties and the coalition partners would be approached to muster support for the constitutional amendment. Leaders of the allied parties including Mir Hasil Bizenjo and former Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch of the National Party also held meeting with Nawaz Sharif at Punjab House and inquired about his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz.