ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said it was a shameful thing that the government health card carried the picture of a ‘disqualified money launderer’ — a reference to PML-N chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. In a tweet, he said, “Apart from using the taxpayers’ money to project criminals, Sharif mafia destroying the moral values of our youth: As if nothing wrong with corruption/ money laundering.”
He said that they got pledges for almost dollar 1 million to be paid within a year. The dinner last night in Dubai broke all records for overseas fundraisers. "I want to congratulate our team and thank the people of Dubai for helping create this record with dollars 900k in cash being collected,” he said about the fund collection. Meanwhile, the PTI will meet on January 23 to decide on quitting the National Assembly amid inside reports that there will be strong voices against exiting the legislatures when the general elections are just round the corner.
The party’s 492-strong Central Executive Committee (CEC) has been summoned by Chairman Imran Khan on the heels of his statement in Lahore in which he’d welcomed Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad’s announcement of resigning from the assembly and hinted at following suit a day after consulting with his party. He had also curse Parliament, as did his closest ally from Rawalpindi’s Lal Haveli.
However, the party made no decision and in the afternoon his aide Aun Chaudhry announced that the CEC had been summoned to decide on resigning from the legislatures.
Interestingly, Sh. Rashid has made no progress on his announcement of resignation.
Needless to say, there is a clear division in the party on the option of resignations, as there are very strong voices that how could they leave the legislatures at this critical juncture when the elections are a few months away and there is a dire need to reorganise the party.
“Obviously, the announcement about resignations was Imran’s own and in reaction to Sheikh Sahab’s decision.
It will be thoroughly debated in the upcoming meeting and we expect a consensus decision will be made in the end,” said a senior PTI leader, who requested not be identified.
Asked if Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz Khattak will quit when some key populist projects were nearing completion, including the Peshawar metro bus project, he said a consensus decision will be made in this regard.
Another PTI leader conceded that it would be a very difficult decision to leave the legislatures with a lot at stake unlike Sh. Rashid, who apparently had nothing to lose and nothing to gain even after exiting the assembly. On the contrary, he pointed out, the PTI was the second largest opposition party in the National Assembly and not only led the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also had seven members in the Senate.
There are chances that the number of senators might double in the March Senate polls.
The PPP is the leading opposition party in the National Assembly with 47 members followed by the PTI with 32 MNAs.
There are five to seven MNAs, who are not sure of getting the party ticket again; therefore, it surely will not be easy for them to say good-bye to the assembly in the given situation on the call of Imran or party, insiders say. They also insist that the decision of coming out of the legislatures and leaving the field open to the PML-N and its like-minded to form government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the support of some renegade PTI MPAs will not be a wise decision at all and can potentially damage the party ahead of general election.
Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry Saturday alleged that former disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his kin had been declared a mafia by the Supreme Court.
“This family has gained incontestable fame in lying and deception. His tirade against the army and the judiciary is aimed at appeasing Indian PM Modi,” charged Fawad in reaction to Nawaz’s speech earlier.
He criticised Nawaz Sharif for trying to mislead the nation through lies and deceit.
He said the only document Sharif clan provided to the apex court as evidence for their properties was a fake Qatari letter.
He said circumstances would have been different if Sharif mafia had served the nation instead of stashing and laundering money abroad. “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has informed the nation about the lies and deceit of Sharif. Nawaz Sharif’s diatribe against the state institutions is to appease the Indian lobby,” he alleged.
Fawad said in the upcoming elections, Pakistan’s politics would be purged of PML-N’s politics of loot and plunder.
Meanwhile, the PTI has written to Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, urging him to make public Raja Zafarul Haq report and called for a debate on it in Parliament.
The letter has been written by PTI MNA Murad Saeed seeking to make public the investigation report of the committee on the issue of amending the clause regarding the Finality of Prophet Mohammad (SAW). He urged the NA speaker to hold a debate on the report in the House.
