Maryam Nawaz, daughter of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, said on Sunday that she got the news of her grandmother’s death with a two-hour delay due to suspension of cellular phone services and no government official was humane enough to inform her of the sad demise.
“My father and other family members kept on attempting to contact me but to no avail. I left the public meeting of PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) for Lahore as soon as I heard the sad news,” she tweeted on Sunday.
میاں صاحب کے سر سے ماں کا دعاوں بھرا سایہ اٹھ گیا۔ دادی کے انتقال کی خبر مجھے فون سروسز معطل ہونے کی وجہ سے دو گھنٹے تاخیر سے ملی جس کے بعد میں فورا لاہور کی لیے روانہ ہو گئی۔ میرے والد اور گھر والے بار بار رابطے کی کوشش کرتے رہے مگر رابطہ نہ ہو سکا۔ pic.twitter.com/F4PmoB2T70
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) November 22, 2020
Maryam said that she had made a request to Mian Sahib (Nawaz Sharif ) for staying there as, according to her, tyrants are waiting here to settle the scores and any kind of humanity from these persecutors is out of the question.
کسی حکومتی شخص میں اتنی انسانیت نہیں تھی کہ مجھ تک دادی کی وفات کی اطلاع پہنچا دیتے۔ میں نے میاں صاحب کو درخواست کی ہے کہ بالکل واپس نا آئیں۔ یہ ظالم اور انتقام میں اندھےلوگ ہیں جن سے کسی بھی قسم کی انسانیت کی توقع نہیں۔
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) November 22, 2020
Government Response
In response to Maryam Nawaz' remorse, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi questioned if the government was responsible for announcing the death of her grandmother or her family. “Are you in jail,” the minister replied to Maryam’s tweet.
آپ جیل میں ہیں؟
— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) November 22, 2020
اطلاع حکومت نے دینی ہے یا خاندان والوں نے؟ 😳 https://t.co/e3nGquoBU0
The mother of Sharifs, Shamim Akhtar, died in a London hospital where she was under treatment as she was suffering from a severe chest infection and an advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease. She was staying with Nawaz who also left the country to receive medical treatment in London after a court lifted a travel ban as he was serving a prison sentence for corruption last year.
Reportedly, the three-time prime minister had an immune system disorder and other health problems. The ruling PTI had been reluctant to release Nawaz who served less than a year of the seven-year imprisonment for corruption.