Money launderers placed in govt, Imran tells COAS

ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Faisal Chaudhry Wednesday said ex-premier Imran Khan had written a third letter to the Army Chief General Asim Munir, highlighting the issue of alleged rigging and causes of terrorism.

Talking to the media outside the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, Chaudhry, flanked by lawyers, said Imran had issued a third letter to the army chief on Wednesday comprising six points.

He added that Imran had noted all the points for the letter and given instructions regarding it. The letter, he noted, will also include deep structural reforms.

The PTI lawyer said the letter had raised the issue of preferring a minority to the majority through the election fraud.

He explained that the contents of the third letter would be revealed on Thursday (today) and said the party supremo had said that money launderers had been placed in the government, while 1.8 million people had left Pakistan and $20 billion in capital had shifted abroad.

“When we left the government, the economic growth was 6.4 percent,” he said.

Discussing the causes of terrorism, Imran said terrorism was increasing due to the lack of rule of law, while court-packing was being done to crack down on the PTI.

Chaudhry said, “We still stand by our demand for the constitution of a judicial commission on the May 9 incident, as raids in Punjab were still ongoing after February 8 (polls) while the police did not allow the funeral of one of the PTI workers in Wazirabad.”

He said senior party member Aamir Dogar had been made a member of the negotiation committee while it had been decided to add some new members to the political committee and the party will issue a formal notification on Thursday.

The PTI lawyer claimed that the Insaf Lawyers Forum President Intizar Panjotha and other lawyers were not allowed to visit the jail in connection with the trial proceedings. He alleged that journalists were also being picked and chosen.

“We will also file an application for open trial of the GHQ case. After the 26th Amendment, the justice system has collapsed,” Faisal said.

Earlier, on February 3, Imran Khan had written an open letter to Army Chief General Asim Munir for the first time, appealing him to change policies to bridge the gap between the masses and the army.

Again, on February 8, he wrote a second open letter to the army chief in which he said that the judicial system had been captured at gunpoint through the 26th Amendment, while he was kept in a ‘death cell’ for 20 days where even sunlight did not reach.

Meanwhile, PTI senior leader and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Wednesday said a letter and dossiers had been delivered to the IMF Mission in Islamabad.

“A copy of the letter, photo of the dossier (that have been submitted to the Chief Justice of Pakistan), and the photo of the Pattan Report on General Elections 2024 are attached…,” he shared on his social media account.

In the letter to Mahir Binici of the IMF Mission in Islamabad, Ayub wrote, “I write to you at a crucial juncture when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission is visiting Pakistan to assess the economic and governance framework, with transparency and the rule of law being fundamental concerns. In this context, enclosed is a dossier that has been submitted to the Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan, detailing undeniable evidence of widespread electoral rigging in the 2024 General Elections”.

He further wrote, “Prime Minister Imran Khan had met an IMF delegation on July 7th, 2023 and stressed that free and fair elections were imperative for the rule of law.”

Omar further stressed that economic prosperity and growth in a country could only take place when there was rule of law and adherence to the Constitution.

Omar explained that the dossier contained substantial facts and proofs of how state institutions, including the Election Commission of Pakistan, suppressed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), forcefully snatching its public mandate and engineering the electoral outcome.

Systematic manipulation of democratic process is evident across the country, undermining the very principles of justice, free will and constitutional governance, he wrote.

He noted that the report of Pattan, an NGO, was also included giving the details of electoral manipulation.

“Given the significance of transparency in economic and political stability, we believe it is imperative that these grave concerns are brought to the attention of all relevant stakeholders, including the international institutions monitoring governance in Pakistan,” he said.

Omar also wrote, “Should the delegation require any further information or clarification, we would be pleased to meet and provide any necessary assistance. We trust that upholding the rule of law and democratic integrity will remain a priority in all engagements concerning Pakistan’s future. Looking forward to your response.”