Arrears
According to Daily Jang (08 July 2019), Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed claimed that some 80 vehicles in Maryam Nawaz’s entourage on the way to her Mandi Bahauddin rally failed to pay toll tax along the route. The Minister further said he would send the bill home for them.
Nominee
The PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal, according to Daily Jang (08 July 2019), expressed his view that if anyone were worthy of an Oscar for Deception (dhokay-bazi), it would have to be PM Imran Khan.
Rejecting close-mindedness
Jamia Binoria’s Mufti Naeem was quoted by Daily Jang (09 July 2019) as saying that Islam did not teach us to be close-minded (Islam tangg-nazari ka darss nahin deta). He further claimed that tools of the West (Maghribi ala-e-kar) were engaged in propaganda by various means on social media – so as to move the new generation away from religion.
Remember November
It was reported by Daily Jang (09 July 2019) that Asif Ali Zardari predicted that the government would be sent home before November this year – and that the future belonged to Bilawal and Maryam.
Price hysteria?
Punjab’s Information Minister Samsam Bukhari was quoted by Daily Dunya (13 July 2019) as saying that the situation is moving towards improvement day by day. In his view, some people have created rising prices on social media (kuch loogon ne social media pe mehngai kar rakhi hai).
Maulana vs NAB
Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman reacted to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiating investigation against him for assets beyond his means. The Maulana, according to Daily Dunya (13 July 2019), asked how NAB considered itself worthy to send him a notice (NAB ki kya haisiat mujhe notice bhejay) and promised to rip apart such a notice if he receives it (mila tou tukray tukray kar diay jaein ge).
Not impressed
The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan, according to Daily Jang (08 July 2019), referring to recent mobilization by the PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz, expressed her view that this was just a regular popular gathering (maamul ki awami rally thi). In Awan’s view, Maryam Nawaz has put on a “flop” show and she was not able to attract the attention of the masses (Maryam Nawaz ka drama flop, awam ko mutwajeh nahin kar sakeen).
La Cosa Nostra
Daily Dunya (14 July 2019) quoted for its readers the tweet by PM Imran Khan in which he compared his opponents in Pakistan to the Sicilian Mafia and its subversion of state institutions to protect its criminal activities.
Sheikh Rasheed’s assessment
Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed, according to Daily Express (14 July 2019), claimed that Maryam Nawaz would prove to be like the elephant of Porus for the PML-N (Porus ki hathni sabit hongi). Furthermore, he noted that PM Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump were about to meet, and that their dispositions were similar (doonon ka mizaj aik jaisa hai).
Broadside from Bilawal
The PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto, according to Daily Express (14 July 2019), described the budget presented by the government as a tsunami of rising prices. In his view, a Selected Government had engaged in rigging (dhandli) so as to pass an anti-people budget.