PML-N leaders say Imran preparing to run away from court

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders on Thursday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was preparing to run away from the court after seeing imminent defeat in the Panama Papers case.

Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran Khan after observing that all the doubts and ambiguities created by him regarding the Panama Papers were being dissipated during the Supreme Court hearings was now seeking a way out. Talking to media persons outside the Supreme Court, she said Imran had no counter evidence to produce before the apex court in reply to the documents submitted by the counsels for the prime minister and Maryam Nawaz. She said the issues of the prime minister’s link to Panama Papers and Maryam Nawaz’s dependency on him, which Imran had tried from the day one to establish by consistently telling lies, had been settled in Thursday’s court proceedings.

Marriyum said Imran’s politics was based on lies because he had failed to deliver and launch any development plan for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who gave the mandate to the PTI in the 2013 general elections.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the government is taking every step forward for the better future of the people of Pakistan. He said the opponents want to impede the government’s journey to progress but they will never succeed. 

“The PTI chief has been taking U-turns in the Panama case, following in footprints of his political career, whereas the government is sticking to its stance in the case,” he said.

Khawaja Asif asked Imran to show the record of 7 million Zakat money allegedly used in betting. The minister said Imran should stop blame game and disclose record of funds collected from the people in the name of Zakat as they wanted to know where he had used them. He said it was for first time in country s history that old money transactions record had been provided in the court. He said Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was the only prime minister who had presented himself and his family members for accountability.

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said the frustration of the opponents is forcing them to level baseless allegations on the elected government. He said the Panama case petition is just a waste of time of the Supreme Court by chairman PTI, as he has still failed to provide single document against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He urged the PTI and other political parties to compete with the government by pursuing development agendas in the provinces instead of engaging in politics of blame game. Minister for CADD Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that Maryam Nawaz is not dependent of Nawaz Sharif. He reiterated that the PTI has no evidence against Sharif family in Panama Papers case and is doing negative propaganda against them.

He said that Imran Khan is afraid that he will have to contest Maryam Nawaz in the elections.  MNA Talal Chaudhry said Imran Khan do not consider himself bound to give details of his offshore company.

Privatization Minister Muhammad Zubair said members of Sharif family had provided in the Supreme Court the money trail of its business transactions going back to 40 years.  He was addressing a press conference along with PML-N MNA Danyal Aziz. He said three generations of Sharif family had provided evidence spanning over 40 years, submitted all the income and wealth tax returns including that of Maryam Nawaz's grandmother, bank statements and property documents.

Danyal Aziz said PTI secretary general Jehangir Tareen, his wife, sons and daughter exchanged gifts to the tune of Rs1,647 million during 2009-2013. He said each gift was worth millions of rupees. He said Jehangir Tareen returned Rs70 million on the orders of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) besides paying a fine of Rs15 million. He said Tareen was trading shares in the names of his cook and gardener. He said Imran Khan was living in a house of 300 kanals and enjoying rides on the aeroplane provided by Jehangir Tareen.