Bilawal says 3 PTI ministers have links to banned outfits

KARACHI: The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Wednesday alleged that there are at least three PTI ministers in the cabinet who have links to banned organisations.

“I will be forced to take their names if the government does not take action against them. At least three PTI ministers have a record and history when it comes to banned organisations,” Bilawal said while addressing a press conference here. He alleged that one of the ministers publicly met with members of the banned organisations during the election campaign.

Bilawal stated that these ministers believe to this day that if one speaks against these organisations and terrorism, then they are giving a statement against the country. He said that it is hard to believe that the National Action Plan (NAP) is being implemented until these ministers, with such mentality, are present in the cabinet.

“These individuals must be immediately removed from Imran Khan’s cabinet,” he said.

Bilawal said the National Accountability Bureau is dragging him in fake accounts case to induce political engineering. He was referring to the transfer of fake accounts case to Rawalpindi from Karachi.

“The transfer of the case is a violation of jurisdiction,” said Bilawal, adding that the NAB should also hold its officials accountable for their actions.

“In the case, the FIR, accused, accounts, transactions, companies, banks etc. all are in Sindh… What is in Rawalpindi?” said Bilawal.

He said that the probe authority should refrain from political engineering.

The PPP chairman said the party leaders are being dragged in the benami accounts case. “Even if an angel is made the chairman of the NAB, he will do political engineering,” Bilawal said.

“The law of the NAB is the black law,” said the PPP chairman, adding that the institutions made during former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s era arrested the Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani from Islamabad. Bilawal said that the post of Speaker Sindh Assembly does not belong to the PPP. “Attack on the Sindh Assembly is unfortunate,” he said.

He said that without any proof Agha Siraj Durrani was arrested and now the officials are searching for evidence. The PPP chairman said that no court has sent them a notice, but they have been given a sentence without being heard in the corruption references.

“This doesn’t happen in any democracy and civilised country,” said the PPP chairman.

Bilawal said the PPP is not afraid of bullying, and will launch a ‘jail bharo tehreek’ if required.

Bilawal said three steps were necessary to convince the opposition on seriousness of government in taking action against the banned organisations. He said the first condition is constitution of the National Security Committee comprising legislators of both houses of Parliament to oversee implementation of the NAP and security affairs of the country. He said the PTI government should fully and completely disown and distance itself from its past actions and statements in support of banned organisations and remove three ministers from the federal cabinet who in the past remained associated with the extremist and banned organisations through their statements and deeds.

Bilawal came to the Sindh Assembly building to meet its sitting imprisoned Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and afterwards addressed the press conference flanked by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Information Adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab and other senior leaders of the PPP.

Bilawal said that the prime minister could not dare give any statement against his Indian counterpart and banned organisations, but he missed no chance to speak against the opposition political parties in the country.

He said that some of the leading public sector health institutions of Sindh, which had been massively transformed and improved after their control had been given to Sindh government in pursuance of the 18thAmendment, were being snatched and given back to the Centre. Such a move would be stiffly resisted through means of judiciary and protest.

He lamented that the apex judiciary of the country lacked the independence and autonomy in its proceedings and dispensation of justice, which was required to strengthen the democratic process in the country.

He said that the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Karachi was the best example of good governance by the PPP’s Sindh government, which had established the satellite heart treatment units all over Sindh and had also become one of the biggest heart hospitals of the world.