Rulers pointing finger at Army, SC: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was an accused, asking how he could seek answers to his questions from the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

Talking to journalists here after chairing a consultative meeting of the party, Imran said that JIT was formed by the Supreme Court and hence talking against it was tantamount to talking against the apex court.

The rulers are pointing fingers at Army and SC, Imran claimed.

Referring to PM’s visit to Bahawalpur in connection with the deadliest fire incident there, he said he was Prime Minister of Pakistan and hence sould have also visited Quetta and Parachinar for condolence and support. He said overlooking these regions would send wrong signals to people there. Imran said he would visit Parachinar after green signal from the army.

He cautioned against a conspiracy to trigger sectarian strife in Pakistan and wanted the government to play its role in this connection. He deplored that far less compensation was announced for victims of Parachinar acts of terrorism. 

Meanwhile, PTI reviewed latest political situation and the recent wave of terrorism and tragedies and chalked out its possible line of action in coming days. 

He challenged Nawaz Sharif that the nation had accepted him as a criminal and warned that if an attempt was made to intimidate or threaten the JIT, the nation was ready and when he would give a call, the entire Pakistan would come out against him.

Imran warned Nawaz against attacking the Supreme Court like in 1997 or threatening it and that he would give a call to the nation and the entire Pakistan would be out. 

“These people are going against JIT, as they know the decision will be against them. There are charges of corruption and money laundering against Nawaz and criminal investigation is under way against him: how can he question JIT?” he noted.

He alleged that Nawas told a lie in the National Assembly that they had all the documents with regard to money trail of London properties and in the Supreme Court they said having nothing while all of a sudden, a Qatari came.

The PTI chief pointed out that the recent media talk by Nawaz in London made it clear that he had no answer to the JIT’s 13 questions. He noted in order to cover up his corruption and wealth, Nawaz had brought forward his children and his late father. He added none else could be blamed for appearance of Maryam Nawaz before the JIT.

He asserted, “How can Prime Minister say, the nation would not accept a JIT decision against him?” 

He noted that Rana Sanaullah would also say so that the decision against the Sharifs would not be acceptable to the nation. He added Abid Sher Ali’s father had alleged that Rana Sanaullah was involved in killing of 17 persons.

To a question, he said that the record presented by Nawaz was bogus, including his hand-shaking image with an Arab. He alleged earlier a Qatari had come to their rescue in a helicopter case, who had claimed to have gifted it to them.

He said money laundering was a huge crime and according to a report, each year Rs1,000 billion were laundered, which, if curbed, would be spent in Pakistan and this would address joblessness.

Imran slammed PML-N government and alleged their progress was confined to advertisements and power crisis was being also handled through ads like the one on Nandipur power project.

Referring to Prime Minister’s foreign visits, he said that the daily expense of the public exchequer on Nawaz visit abroad was Rs2.7 million, wondering what good such visits brought to Pakistan and asked if PM Modi would ever do so. He charged nowhere in the world happened that a prime minister would perform Umra taking along 60 people.

During the last 70 years, most of the corruption was done by the two Sharif brothers and questioned where the money was going while the schools, colleges, universities in Punjab were in poor shape and even clean drinking water was not available to the people. He alleged despite being in power since 1985, not a single institution was reformed. He added real change would happen, when the powerful would also be held accountable.