ISLAMABAD: Former chairman Senate and Secretary General Pakistan People’s Party Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari has said that the interior minister should respect the law of the land as the attempt of interior minister to barge into the court is continuation of PML-N’s disrespect for courts of the country.
In a reaction to the press talk of Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in which he lashed out at the Rangers on blocking him from entering the court complex where former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's hearing was under way, Nayyar Bukhari asked the PML-N not to drag the courts into politics.
Bukhari said that Nawaz Sharif was summoned by the court on the charges of corruption and wrongdoings and he should face the trial with dignity but the hue and cry by the ruling party itself was proof that Nawaz Sharif was involved in corruption and wrongdoings.
He said that PML-N had in the past initiated false and concocted cases against the PPP leadership but now they were themselves facing cases in the courts during their own government. “The PML-N gathering outside the court to influence courts has miserably failed. The end of PML-N is written on the wall and no uproar by the ruling party can stop it now,” he said.
The ruling party gathered government ministers and party workers outside the court to influence the court but failed and now people were forced to remember the attack on the Supreme Court by the PML-N in 1990s, he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal tried to defame the army as saying ‘state within state’ in English was tantamount to giving a message. He regretted being compared with the most corrupt person in Pakistan, as he reiterated his demand for early polls, alleging the rulers wanted confrontation with the state entities to hide their corruption.
PTI chairman announced to thrash out a plan to go to the masses against the rulers and added they had enough street power and experience of sit-ins. “We have decided to hold public meetings, as no other option is left after PML-N has made up its mind to have confrontation with the judiciary and the army,” he alleged.
Imran told a news conference here after chairing a party meeting that propaganda was being unleashed to portray his case in the Supreme Court with that of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif. He said, “They think if Nawaz is a thief, Imran Khan must be one as well". He pointed out having never been in government or held public office.
He alleged that PML-N leaders were destroying Pakistan's laws and institutions and again called for early elections, as the rulers were not saving democracy, they were hiding their own corruption and incompetence. “They are kleptocrats, not democrats.” He charged.
PTI chairman said he was ready for accountability and added he had submitted his money trail to the Supreme Court and the latest was bank statement about 5,60,000 pounds from his former wife Jemima. He noted there were apprehensions about money trail of one lakh and they could verify it.
“I have submitted all the documents pertaining to the money I earned abroad for 20 years while playing cricket," he claimed. On the other hand, Sharif family has failed to provide any details of their four properties in London in the Panama Papers case while their children became billionaires at young age. Imran recalled the Gulf Steel and Qatari letters turned out to be frauds.
He claimed instead of giving answers to corruption and money-laundering (questions), an impression was being created that the others were also corrupt like the Sharifs. Imran claimed Maryam Nawaz was the real beneficiary owner of those apartments but they never shared documents, as these were purchased with the ill-gotten wealth, Nawaz sent abroad. He continued how Hassan lived in a house worth Rs6,000 million and they owned 10-15 companies and when asked, they claimed Qatari prince had given them money.
Imran alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was protecting the country’s biggest thief. "They are destroying democracy. They have formed a law to protect a criminal," he said referring to the Elections Bill 2017.
He wondered if there was any country in the world that allowed a man, who had been disqualified to lead a party. He alleged there was no democracy rather monarchy in Pakistan, as in democracy, a ruler was answerable.
PTI chief came hard on Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his government for what he called protecting a man, who was convicted by the Supreme Court and disqualified and had NAB references against him.
Imran asserted that PTI would make all possible efforts to hinder the passage of the Elections Bill along with other opposition groups in the National Assembly.
He cautioned if PML-N tried to bulldoze their attempts, they would reach out to the people. About the two party senators, who did not vote against the ‘controversial clause,’ that would allow a disqualified person to head a party, he said they had issued strictest warning to them that they would be expelled from the party if they repeated what they had done in the Senate recently.
Regarding the change of opposition leader in the National Assembly, he insisted that PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi was the best parliamentarian and should become the opposition leader. But he added the party had to take a decision after taking other parties into confidence.
Referring to the issue of Rangers stopping PML-N lawyers and other politicians from entering the judicial complex, where the accountability court was hearing the Nawaz Sharif’s case, Imran alleged that the entire incident was a drama.
He wondered, “How was Ahsan Iqbal unaware of the SSP’s letter to the Rangers for deployment and asserted the interior minister’s statement was nothing but ‘obstruction of justice, as the judge had already talked about paucity of space. Imran alleged that his statement was in continuation with Dawnleaks.
Imran also lashed out at Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif for his recent statements abroad that Pakistan should do more and that as if there was a state within the state.
Imran said the media was moving forward and added the media should get permission to cover the huge trial. Imran said once the difficult time was over, golden time was coming Pakistan’s way.
Earlier, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry expressed satisfaction with the way things were proceeding in the accountability court, hearing the corruption cases against the Sharif family. Talking to Geo News, after Nawaz' hearing, he said he wondered whether the interior minister was a police officer that he went to the NAB court today. Similarly, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the interior minister should not threaten to resign and instead he should just resign.
