By God, Imran is a fraud: Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday strongly criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, calling him a “fraudster” and the “biggest liar in Pakistan’s history”.

He was addressing a press conference at the PM House, along with Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) ministers and leaders, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar and Ahsan Iqbal. The premier said there was no more ambiguity that a fraudster like Imran committed treason with the country and the nation on the issue of diplomatic cipher and damaged relations with friendly countries.

Shehbaz alleged that Imran Khan and his supporters were trying to turn Pakistan’s donors against the government through the social media tactics. “I’m finally saying this today that the entire opposition has been vindicated by God. And Imran Khan — who lies day and night — is a fraudster […] he had isolated the nation and played with it. He attacked the army and tried to create divisions in state institutions,” added the premier.

PM Shehbaz recalled the events of April 3 — the day the no-confidence motion was submitted against then-prime minister Imran in the National Assembly. “I just want to tell you what happened that day. Before the voting [of the no-trust vote], the information minister at that time (Fawad Chaudhry) stood up and read a statement saying that a conspiracy was devised against the government […] its links were with a foreign power and the opposition has brought this motion.

“Subsequently, [former NA] deputy speaker Qasim Suri read a written statement in which he rejected the no-confidence motion on the basis of conspiracy story […] without asking us,”Shehbaz said.

Within no time, he went on, Imran came on television and announced the dissolution of NA. “Twenty minutes later, the president approved the summary.” It was all unfortunate. Various crucial and important issues keep pending approval at the President House for weeks, but the NA dissolution summary was approved in just 20 minutes, the premier regretted.

This was the basis of the conspiracy that Imran had been playing for the past five months and wasting the nation’s time, PM Shehbaz said. “Due to this game, Pakistan’s relations with the biggest powers of the world have been compromised,” he added.

“That conspiracy now stands exposed without any ambiguity. For last five years, I have been saying that he (Imran Khan) is the biggest liar doing all just to serve his own interests,” he commented.

PM Shehbaz told the media that the National Security Committee, in its two meetings, categorically made it clear that the cipher had nothing to do with the conspiracy. Shehbaz said the government wanted to present Imran’s “true face” in front of the nation. “The decision will be taken by you through the vote,” he added.

“The audio leaks have also exposed what game the biggest liar Imran Khan and other conspirators played on the cipher issue, which was not less than committing treason with the country,” Shehbaz said.

The PM, while responding to a question as to whether a dishonest person like Imran Khan should be allowed to take part in electoral process, claimed that he [Imran Khan] would destroy the country if he was imposed on the nation again.

He said that ambiguity regarding audio leaks could continue for years but by the grace of Almighty Allah, it was cleared and a fraud and worst conspiracy against Pakistan was exposed.

The PM called upon the nation which, he said, was in a state of unrest, should come out of confusion as audio leaks had also shown the abhorrent act of Imran Khan and other conspirators, who caused an irreparable loss to Pakistan and its relations with other countries like the United States.

He pointed out that conspirators in the audio leaks could be heard of planning to play a game on the issue of cipher and in that way they committed severe dishonesty and damaged the country’s prestige. “There is no other hand in this conspiracy but Imran Khan’s and his associates,” he said.

Shehbaz told a questioner that he was not behind releasing audio leaks, adding that had he done so, he would have not released his own audios.

The PM said that Imran Khan was a fraudster to the core, and he played with the nation’s social norms and pushed the nation to a state of isolation.

The prime minister once again confirmed that the cipher’s copy received at the Prime Minister’s House was missing and Imran Khan was saying he did not know where it was.

To a question about the PTI leadership’s criticism of changes in accountability law by the incumbent government, the PM questioned in which case courts had given a clean chit to any leader now in the government. “It was Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan who was given an NRO by the FBR in case of property owned by her abroad,” he said adding that amendments to the accountability law had nothing to do with the case of Maryam Nawaz.

He said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave a clean chit to Maryam Nawaz on merit, saying that she appeared before the court for four years and also faced imprisonment along with Nawaz Sharif. “It was the NAB-Niazi nexus which did not even spare females like Maryam Nawaz and Faryal Talpur,” he said.

Shehbaz Sharif said it was Imran Khan who, through the federal cabinet, gave a clean chit to an individual in case of 190 million pounds received from the UK.

The PM said the nation also passed through difficult times and economic crisis as the PTI regime reached an agreement with the IMF and then violated the same.

Shehbaz said the government so far had spent around Rs100 billion for relief and assistance of the flood-affected people, which include Rs60 billion under the BISP.

He said China had provided $90 million for the flood victims, while other countries including the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Japan also came forward for assistance of the flood-affected people.

He said federal and provincial governments as well as other institutions were strenuously working to extend relief to the flood victims. He, however, regretted that the PTI chairman was trying to create hurdles in the way of assistance pouring in from abroad instead of visiting flood-affected areas.

To a question about appointment of the new chief of the army staff (COAS), the PM said there was a set criteria and process in the law and Constitution, and nobody should worry about it. To another question, he said Nawaz Sharif would return to the country once his doctors allow him to travel.

About Toshakhana case, the PM said the probe was under process, assuring that the government did not believe in political victimisation and the findings would be made public. However, he said in the foreign funding case, the Election Commission of Pakistan rejected Imran Khan’s claims of his being Sadiq and Ameen.

To a question about changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the PM pointed out that Ramiz Raja was new on the slot of PCB chairman when the incumbent government assumed power. “Five or six months are not a big period and we will hold consultations on the issue,” he said.

The PM said the government had also issued orders for restoration of sports wings in government departments, which were abolished by the previous regime. APP adds: PM Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan should not be forced to go out with a begging bowl to rich polluting nations after the floods devastated the country, stressing that he would be seeking climate justice from the international community.

In the second part of his interview by the British daily The Guardian published Thursday, Sharif warned that Pakistan was facing an unprecedented crisis of health, food security and internal displacement after the apocalyptic monsoons put a third of Pakistan’s regions under water.

With Pakistan responsible for 0.8% of global carbon emissions, Sharif said it was the responsibility of the developed countries, who caused these emissions, to stand by us. “I’ve never seen this kind of devastation, inundation and suffering of our people in my lifetime,” he said.

Also, PM Shehbaz Sharif said the government was completing the projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on a priority, which were deliberately delayed by the previous government during the last four years.

The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation of Chinese construction firm China Road and Bridge Corporation, headed by President Ye Chengyin, said the government was answerable to the masses for protection of public money.

He also appreciated the efforts of Muslim World League and its leadership for playing an important role in uniting the Muslim Ummah and spreading the message of peace, tolerance and inter-faith harmony. The PM said this in a meeting with Secretary General of the Muslim World League Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, who called on him here.