Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has alleged that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted through a nexus between the judiciary and the establishment.

“It was a joint venture [of judiciary and establishment] to eliminate Nawaz Sharif from politics. But such effort never succeeded,” he said at a press conference in Sialkot on Saturday. The media talk centered on the violent protests after Imran Khan’s arrest and the court cases against him.

After making such claims, the defence minister spoke about the “special treatment” being given to Khan. He lamented that the incumbent government leaders were not treated in a similar way when they faced cases.

“It is sad to welcome the accused,” he said while reacting to the CJP’s remarks when Khan appeared in the Supreme Court after being arrested on May 9 by paramilitary forces. “You should have gotten up and hugged him.”

“People remember what has transpired over the past four years, and now a new precedent is being set. It appears that one person is receiving blanket protection, even shielding them from thoughts that have just crossed your mind. What kind of justice is this?”

‘Nexus’ between PTI, judiciary

PPP leader Sherry Rehman has warned of a “reaction” after days of political drama where PTI chief Imran Khan was whisked away by paramilitary forces before securing bail in several cases in a day.

“It is clearly seen that there is a nexus between the PTI and the judiciary,” she said at a press conference that centered on Friday’s court proceedings and violent protests after Khan’s arrest on May 9.

Using a metaphor, Sherry said that the apparent PTI-judiciary partnership won’t last long as the government would respond. “Inki yeh film ab mazeed nahi chal sakti, ab hukumat bhi apna trailer chalaegi.”

The Islamabad High Court granted bail to Khan in several cases, including the Al-Qadir Trust case. He was able to approach the court after the Supreme Court declared his arrest “unlawful”.

The PTI chief returned home this morning hours after the Islamabad police kept him in the court, citing a security risk.

The ruling coalition has announced its decision to march on Islamabad in protest against the Supreme Court’s “special treatment” for the former prime minister. “A sit-in will begin in front of the Supreme Court from Monday,” Fazal ur Rehman told the media on Friday, after a meeting of PDM parties on Friday in Islamabad.

In her press conference on Saturday, Sherry accused the PTI of damaging the country during the violent protests on May 9 and after. She claimed that miscreants tried to “paralyse” the country.

Sherry, who is serving as the climate change minister in the federal cabinet, claimed that the PTI chief considered himself above the law. She claimed that

PDM slams Khan for his statement against army chief

The ruling alliance described PTI chief Khan as a “political terrorist” and accused him of defaming for attacking the army and COAS for apparently not interfering in politics.

“The problem is that the facility to offer extensions in closed rooms and in the President’s House is gone,” the Pakistan Democratic Movement said in a statement.

The coalition government alleged that those who attacked state buildings, caused “division” in society, and ran a campaign against martyrs were working on a foreign agenda.