‘Is Panama case aimed at Ehtesab or dislodging PM?’

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned on Wednesday whether the Panama Leaks case was aimed at eliminating corruption or removing an elected prime minister and sabotaging the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Addressing an Eid Milan party at the JUI-F Secretariat, Fazlur Rehman was reluctant to comment on the recommendations of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Panama Papers case as he maintained that any ‘opinion’ might lead to contempt of court.

“I have great respect for the judiciary but we have to see the secret agenda behind the Panama case as the issue was raised at a time when China made a huge investment in Pakistan,” he said.

The JUI-F chief added that staunch political rivals like the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were coming closer on this issue to fulfill the secret agenda of imperialist forces.

“We have to see whether the Panama case was highlighted to end corruption, remove an elected prime minister or sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” he pointed out.

The JUI-F chief did not present his party’s stance on the Panama case but said that his party would not become a part of any movement that leads to political instability or isolation of Pakistan.

He said that the US and India had joined hands to destabilise Pakistan on various grounds and certain elements were active in Pakistan to materialise their agenda.

“It is our moral and political responsibility to expose their agenda to the nation,” he said and added that political turmoil and unrest had been created in the entire Islamic world.
The Maulana said once political imprisonment was considered as good sign of political career of any politician but “now politicians are sent to jail on corruption charges while religious scholars and leaders are being imprisoned on terrorism charges”.

“Under a plot non-issues are being highlighted in the media and politicians are being defamed either in the name of Surrey Palace or offshore companies,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family had not become rich overnight. Many PTI activists and other political parties announced joining the JUI-F on the occasion.Party leaders, including Ghulam Ali, Abdul Jalil Jan, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani and other JUI-F leaders, were present as well.