ISLAMABAD: Amid rising political temperature in the country, PTI on Tuesday submitted a reference against former president Asif Ali Zardari for allegedly violating the Toshakhana rules during his time in office.
In its reference submitted to the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the PTI accused the former president and PPP co-chairman of receiving three vehicles from Toshakhana during the tenure of former premierYousaf Raza Gillani by violating the law.
The party claims that it has irrefutable evidence of it.
Seeking his disqualification from holding public office, the PTI said that being a president, Zardari was not eligible to take vehicles from Toshakhana.
On October 4, PTI filed a reference at the Senate against Gilani, seeking his disqualification for allegedly violating the Toshakhana rules while holding the office of prime minister.
Accompanied by other PTI senators, Senator Azam Khan Swati submitted the reference at the Senate Secretariat.
According to the reference, Gilani, as the former prime minister, had relaxed the rules allowing Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to take home luxury vehicles against payment of a negligible amount.
Talking to journalists, Swati said that a "big reference" was filed against Gilani for violating Toshakhana Rules 11, as he had facilitated Zardari and Nawaz to get ownership of three and one luxury vehicles respectively.
He hoped the Senate chairman would soon send the reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan. Swati claimed Asif Ali Zardari paid only 15% against the three gifted vehicles, including two BMW cars and one Toyota Lexus car.
These vehicles were among the fleet of six bulletproof vehicles under his use. He added that a Mercedes car was gifted to Sharif by the Saudi government in 1997 when he was the prime minister.