Khawaja Hoti wants formation of national govt

MARDAN: Calling for formation of a national government to pull country out of crises, former federal minister and Pakistan People’s Party leader Nawabzada Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti on Wednesday poured scorn on the government claims about the discovery of gold, copper and other mineral resources as mere dreams being sold to the people.

Speaking at the Meet-the-Press programme here, he said former prime minister Imran Khan had also made similar claims, which had yielded no results.“Good governance cannot be achieved without eradicating corruption,” he said, adding that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was being used as a toll for blackmailing rather than genuine accountability. Khawaja Hoti called for the formation of a national government, stressing the need for across-the-board accountability without discrimination. “Everyone should be held accountable without any discrimination in an impartial setup,” he added.

Criticising the country’s judicial system, Hoti said, “The judge who delivers justice and the lawyer who seeks justice are part of the same system, but convicted criminals are still released through legal loopholes.”

“If my criticism amounts to contempt of court but leads to reform, then I will gladly accept it,” he said and urged the legal community to remember that true power lies with the people, not institutions.

He said justice in Pakistan must be equal for both the rich and the poor, and called for swift and affordable legal processes. He accused politicians of manipulating the Constitution to serve their personal interests, noting that no amendments have ever been made for the benefit of the public.

Hoti also condemned the alleged torture of Zulfiqar Afghani’s son in Peshawar, claiming that despite the incident, no arrests have been made. He criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for placing its plaques on development projects originally launched during the coalition government of the Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He revealed that the province’s debt has ballooned from Rs 60 billion under the ANP government to Rs 1,020 billion, questioning where the borrowed funds have been spent. Hoti also spoke out against the spread of immoral content on social media, saying freedom of expression should not come at the cost of cultural and moral values.