Pervaiz Rashid points the finger at own interior ministry

ISLAMABAD: Former minister for information, broadcasting and national heritage Pervaiz Rashid said on Friday that the decision was taken against PML-N government despite having the interior ministry as Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was constituted against the government. He said that it was the establishment mentality that had done everything.

He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was just a pawn used for ousting Nawaz Sharif. Speaking to a private TV channel, Pervaiz Rashid said that he had rendered a sacrifice in the DawnLeaks episode for democracy and against terrorism. "Won't take the name of the institution but certain individuals were involved in conspiring against us," he said.

"There is a ghost, which I call the ghost of Musharraf's legacy, it is present in political parties, political minds, and the institutions of the country. "We have to change this thinking, we have to challenge it and fight against it," said the former information minister.

He said that Musharraf had not been sent abroad at the government's behest but it could not stop him either. "Other institutions did not help us in stopping Musharraf," he said. "A lot of decisions are taken collectively."

Pervaiz Rashid said that earlier, prime ministers used to go home silently. He stated that now that would not be the case. Rasheed further said that despite having the interior ministry, a Joint Investigation Team was formed and Whatsapp messages were sent.

"Decisions were taken against us despite the presence of the interior ministry," he said. "A lot happened despite the existence of our government," he added. This is the first time that Pervaiz Rashid has shed light on the Leaks saga after he was sacked by the former prime minister after a probe was initiated into the controversy.

When asked to comment on the fact that he was sacked by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Rashid said that he would speak on the issue on another day. "We can talk about this on another day. This is not a big issue," he said. "I am a political worker and have played that role in the past as well. A lot of truth comes out in open with the passage of time," he said.

Senator Pervaiz Rasheed said that he resigned during the Leaks controversy to save democracy in the country. He added that he gave the sacrifice for strengthening democracy in the country. He added that in the past, people would forget the name of a prime minister in two months after his ouster, but this time the people of Pakistan reacted to Nawaz being ousted.

Meanwhile, reacting to the remarks of Pervaiz Rashid, spokesman for former interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan said that some people had put the whole burden of their mistakes on interior ministry and establishment.

He said that such people were harping on about the interior ministry. He said that he must have the courage to openly explain about the conspiracy against the Nawaz government and should have moral courage. He said that riddles should not be put to nation for their solution.

He said if they were innocent, they should recommend the government to make the Leaks report public. He said that the members of the committee which gave decision against them were under federal and provincial governments.