107 FIRs lodged against PTI leaders, workers: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf senior vice president Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Saturday alleged the "imported government" was lodging FIRs against rivals on account of political vendetta but it would not work.

Talking to journalists after the grant of protective bail by the Islamabad High Court, Fawad said, "It has now become the routine of the imported government to lodge false FIRs to put pressure on political leaders.”

Not only in Islamabad, he pointed out, FIRs have been lodged against PTI leaders and workers in connection with its freedom march. "Over 107 FIRs have been lodged all over the country. Today, there was relief from the court. I am grateful to the chief justice, he always speaks for the rights of the common citizens. The courts are a ray of hope in the oppressive system," he observed. 

Fawad alleged the government machinery was being used with full force to suppress political opponents. "The fake FIRs and pamphlets aim to suppress the voice of the opposition. They are also enacting laws of their choice. From the first day, they made changes in the FIA, changed the investigation teams, removed prosecutors and installed people of their own choice and after abolishing the ECL, they are now going to abolish the NAB,” he maintained.

The former minister said the leader of the 'turncoat association' in the National Assembly had been made the leader of the opposition, as they thought it would provide their actions a legal status, which was not possible. He pointed out that Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar was being appointed as NAB chairman but remarked, "I think he is an honest and respectable man and no respectable man will like to be NAB chairman in this way. They have appointed their loyalists as Members of the Election Commission of Pakistan and no one trusts the commission."

Fawad said that because of such personalities in institutions, people had stopped trusting the institutions, wondering how long would it continue? “We are seeing it all; the PTI is keeping an eye on all that is happening; we cannot hand over this country to Maryam Nawaz as per the wishes of Zardari and Bilawal. The Sharif and Zardari families are a curse to the country. The PTI will get rid of the mafia,” he maintained.

Online adds: Earlier, the IHC granted protective bail to Fawad Chaudhry and his brother for 10 days. As per media reports, Fawad and his brother Faraz Chaudhry had moved the IHC in connection with their protective bail. The former federal minister, in his petition, sought protective bail in a case registered against him in Jhelum in connection with the long march clashes.

Chief Justice (CJ), IHC, Athar Minallah, took up the petition for hearing and granted protective bail for 10 days to Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Faraz Chaudhry during the preliminary hearing.

The court stopped the police from arresting Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Faraz Chaudhry. The court ordered Fawad Chaudhry and his brother to appear before the respective court within 10 days.