ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Friday that the federal cabinet has approved forming a committee to mull whether the government should file a reference under Article 6 (high treason) against PTI’s top brass — including former prime minister Imran Khan — in light of the Supreme Court’s recent verdict.
Talking to journalists during a post-cabinet meeting press conference, the information minister said the cabinet approved the formation of a committee under Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar.
Aurangzeb said the cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair, welcomed the Supreme Court’s detailed judgment in a suo motu case related to the ruling by former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri on the no-confidence motion against then-PM Khan.
On April 3, before voting could commence against Khan, Suri dismissed the vote, describing it as "unconstitutional", and backed by "foreign powers".
The SC's detailed judgment, however, rejected PTI's foreign conspiracy claims and said the courts give verdicts on evidence not speculations.
The court noted that no inquiry was ordered into the matter to ascertain the nature or extent of involvement of any person in Pakistan to seek or receive the support of a foreign state to move the no-confidence motion.
Moreover, in an additional note, Justice Mazahar Alam Khan Miankhel observed that President Arif Alvi, then PM Khan, then NA speaker Asad Qaiser, ex-deputy speaker Suri, and former law minister Fawad Chaudhry had violated their authority, and left it up to the parliamentarians to decide whether their acts could be prosecuted under Article 6.
“A special committee has been formed under the chairmanship of law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar [...] which will present its suggestions in the next meeting of the federal cabinet,” said Aurangzeb in her briefing today.
Talking about Tayyaba Gul, who has claimed that she was asked to stay at the Prime Minister's House for nearly 20 days during Khan’s tenure, Aurangzeb said a commission has been formed to probe the matter.
“The PM's Office contacted Tayyaba Gul, and according to her, she was abducted and held captive at the PM's House for 18 days,” the information minister said.
Aurangzeb said Gul had launched a complaint on the PM’s Portal, but instead of listening to her complaints related to sexual harassment and sexual abuse, the woman was called to the PM's House and "held captive".
Gul, who has accused former NAB chief Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal of sexual harassment, has alleged that former premier Khan used her videos to have his National Accountability Bureau cases closed and blackmailed the then-opposition.
She has claimed that NAB turned against her when she refused to join Iqbal in a flat.
Gul alleges when she lodged a complaint on the prime minister’s portal, she was called by then principal secretary Azam Khan to the PM’s House.
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