ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Tuesday ‘condoled’ with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership over their flopped show in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
“People are not supporting and participating in the PDM political power shows, as its leadership is holding these gatherings to protect their corruption and vested interests,” he said while talking to a private news channel.
He said the PTI government had taken funding from its party workers and other foreign donors through banking verification, authentication and notified process, media reports say. He said the PTI had furnished all the details of foreign donors with the ECP, as it had already provided the names of 40,000 donors in the foreign funding case.
He said there was no harm in getting funds for NIML University and Shaukat Khanum cancer hospital adding that the decision in the foreign funding case would be given by the ECP and not the PDM leadership.
Shibli said it was responsibility of the opposition parties, including Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), to disclose the names of expatriates who had remitted funds to them.
“Both the political parties obtained foreign funds from corruption mafia and also rewarded them during their regimes,” he said, adding that they (political parties) had utilized the amount for money laundering as well.
Replying to a question, he said the PML-N bigwigs had got NRO from a dictator and badly damaged the country’s integrity. He asked the opposition leadership to read the Broadsheet verdict in the cold light of the day that was clear and unambiguous.
Meanwhile, in a tweet, Shibli said the government did not hinder the PDM protest march.
He said the flow of traffic on highways testified to Prime Minister Imran Khan's democratic approach. He said the nation had not forgotten the time when the PML-N government had subjected the PTI workers to torture for a peaceful protest.
Shibli said the nation could never forget the Model Town tragedy that took place during the PML-N rule. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday said the PDM was strengthening and promoting the agenda and narrative of anti-Pakistan elements.
“The PDM has in fact adopted an anti-state narrative and the government will not succumb to their pressure,” he said in a statement. Qureshi said the PDM was trying to cover their internal rift and for the purpose they were pursuing anti-Pakistan agenda. However, they would not succeed in their tactics, he added.
He said the PPP was playing on "both sides of the wicket" and using the PDM platform to achieve its objectives. “The PPP is confused about its participation in the long march,” he added.
He said some elements in Karachi were trying to misuse the seminary students for agitation and expressed confidence that the residents of Karachi would not heed their political gimmicks.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Tuesday said after the statement of British arbitrator, it had become clear now that Nawaz Sharif had lied to the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the nation with respect to his ownership of Avenfield apartments.
"With the Broadsheet award details now public in which it is stated clearly by the arbitrator that Sharif family owned the Avenfield apartments as far back as 2000 at least, it is conclusively established that Nawaz Sharif lied to the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the nation," he said in his tweet.
The minister added that the British judge had clearly said in his verdict that total charges for the services to identify the hidden assets of Sharif family, including Avenfield flat, were $20.5 million and that amount was payable to the Broadsheet.
He said Pakistan had to pay penalty of $20 million to the Broadsheet against the services to identify the hidden wealth of Sharif family worth of Rs16 billion ($100 million) because as per the agreement, the Broadsheet was to be given 20 percent share of total worth.
"The Sharif family looted $100 million worth of public money of Pakistan that could not be recovered yet but even an additional $20 million penalty is imposed on the government," he added.
Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry Tuesday said the PPP and PML-N should submit and disclose all the details of donors in the foreign funding case. “The PTI has already provided the names of 40,000 donors in the same case,” he said talking to a private news channel.
The minister said the PPP and PML-N had taken funding from corrupt mafia and an investigation would be held against them. “Both the political parties have done massive corruption by looting the national exchequer ruthlessly during their regimes,” he added.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari Tuesday said the Sharif family’s multiple illegal assets abroad unearthed by a credible recovery firm Broadsheet were only the tip of the iceberg, as the volume of their corruption was much more.
Talking to the media flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, Minister for Science & Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Mazari said the proofs of unprecedented corruption of Sharifs had not been detected by the PTI government and there was no doubt in the corruption of Sharif family.
“Obviously, the firm harbours no grudge against the Sharif family. The unearthing of foreign assets of Sharif family by Broadsheet will prove another Panama for the Sharif family,” she said.
She said properties worth millions of dollars of Sharif family had already been detected in many countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom, etc. To a question, she cited the example of former ambassador of Pakistan to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hassan, who had tried to destroy the evidence of corruption of Asif Ali Zardari and PPP leadership.
Castigating PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, she said Maryam had already taken benefit from two NROs and she should thoroughly read the judgment of the Arbitration Court. Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Tuesday said the PDM’s confused leadership was misleading the public even when the government had agreed to talk to them on the issue of national interest.
Talking to a private news channel, she said the PDM protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was beyond understanding adding that the corrupt PDM could not stop an institution from working through blackmail and creating chaos in the country. She said PML-N and PPP looted the country one after the other and their children were now ready to take turn.
