Gill sees 'conspiracy' behind fake vaccination entry using Nawaz's name

• Shahbaz Gill claims Maryam Nawaz, other PML-N MPAs involved.
• Conspiracy hatched to slander country's COVID database, he says.
• "Indian media highlighted the issue to malign Pakistan," he adds.

LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill has termed a fake vaccine entry in the name of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a "conspiracy".

The special assistant, addressing a press conference on Saturday, claimed the alleged conspiracy was hatched to defame the country's coronavirus database.

Gill claimed PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz and a group of members of the Punjab Assembly had come up with the plan, and the MPAs made Naveed responsible for the act.

"Naveed is a resident of Shad Bagh — an area in Lahore — and his entire family is a supporter of PML-N," the special assistant said.

Gill further stated that Lahore’s Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, where the false entry was made, falls in the constituency of PML-N's Imran Nazir and Chaudhry Shahbaz.

Chaudhry Shahbaz had used his influence to get Adil Rafiq — a person suspected of involvement in the case — hired. "MPA Chaudhry Shahbaz will have to answer for this," Gill said.

The special assistant said that the MPA's social media account is filled with pictures of him posting with PML-N's MPAs. "The cancer of corruption has spread to every institution," he added.

Circling back to Naveed, Gill said that he had fled to Germany and the government would work to get him back.

PML-N had a plan in place under which they got their own people appointed in institutions, the special assistant alleged, adding: "Indian media highlighted the issue to malign Pakistan."

A fake coronavirus vaccine entry was made in the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) using Nawaz's name at the Government Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital in Lahore on Wednesday, September 22.

As per the fake entry, Nawaz, who is currently in London, got his first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac at 4:03pm on Wednesday at the hospital.

Zubair suggests government pack its bags

Spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, Mohammad Zubair, said all of the country's agencies, including the Federal Investigation Agency, all operate under the government.

"The government is blaming one person who was hired during the PML-N's tenure, however, it must be noted that a person's name is uploaded on the database after due process," Zubair said while speaking in Geo News programme "Naya Pakistan".

He ruled out his party's involvement in the matter.

"This is your incompetence," he said to the government.

"They do not take responsibility for inflation, unemployment, increasing loans. If they do not take responsibility for anything, then why are they in the government?" he asked.

The spokesperson said the government had proved to the world that it is so incompetent that it could not stop a person from entering Nawaz's name into the database.

Responding to a question on the officials involved belonging to the PML-N, he said: "The investigation will be done by the government, and they can do whatever they want. This government [is nothing but] incompetence, corruption, and lack of capacity."

The spokesperson said the government should admit that running state affairs is not its cup of tea and step down.

'Fake vaccine, fake cases'

PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry, responding to Gill's remarks, said: "Not only did Nawaz Sharif's name get used for fake vaccines, but fake cases were also made against him."

The PML-N leader said Gill levels allegations against Maryam to boost his political stature. "Everything that is fake in the country has been brought by PTI — a fake leader, fake change, and a fake government."

Meanwhile, PML-N Punjab spokesperson Azma Bukhari questioned claims of Maryam making changes to official records when it is the PTI in power. "If the PML-N really is that powerful even today, then you should pack your bags and go home," she said to the government.

Punjab suspends health officers

The Punjab government has suspended the Medical Superintendent (MS) and a senior doctor of the Lahore hospital in relation to the fake vaccine entry.

The suspended officers were directed to report to the health department immediately.

Moreover, cases were registered against three other hospital employees, two of which were arrested.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the police have registered separate cases in this regard.

According to the FIA cybercrime wing, watchman Abul Hassan and ward boy Adil used the ID of a third employee, Naveed, to enter former prime minister Nawaz's fake entry into the system.

Police have registered cases against the three suspects and arrested Abul Hassan and Adil.

In addition, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has summoned the Punjab health secretary to Islamabad in response to the development.

Report submitted to CM Buzdar

The provincial health authorities also prepared a report concerning the controversy and shared it with Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, highlighting lapses in the hospital's monitoring and supervision systems.

“Four employees of the hospital admitted to making a fake entry of Nawaz Sharif's data,” stated the report, adding that no senior staff was deployed at the health facility and that the management had authorised lower-level staff to update the record.

Punjab's Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department took notice of the incident and wrote a letter to the FIA and asked it to investigate the matter and take necessary action against the culprits.