Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ban all politicians, including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who were named by former ISI chief Asad Durrani’s list of money recipients in the Asghar Khan case.
Addressing a press conference at the PTI central secretariat along with veteran politician Air Martial (r) Asghar Khan, Khan said the government should make the FIA chief accountable to the Supreme Court to conduct an impartial investigation.
He made it clear that if taking money was proved against PTI leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, he would not take part in the coming election. He said the Asghar Khan case would go a long way in benefiting democracy in the country.
“The judgement has exposed those who have lied for decades and indulged in intrigues and conspiracies to come to power.” He recalled that on the occasion of merging of Tehreek-e-Istaqlal in the PTI, he had demanded reopening of the 16-year-old case.
“At that time, the PML-N was accusing the PTI of taking help of agencies, but the SC decision has proved that the PML-N was on top of the list of ISI beneficiaries,” Khan said.
The PTI chief came hard on the government for its inaction over the Supreme Court’s ruling in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case, saying it was merely the powerless who endured jail terms while the powerful got NROs. He also lashed out at politicians, saying they had made politics a business and they did not let any inquiry to be conducted, calling it the biggest problem of Pakistan.
Referring to Younus Habib, the owner of Mehran Bank implicated in the Mehrangate case for allegedly having a hand in the creation of the IJI, he stated, “A powerful man steals in the country and gets the NRO. This was also the NRO, they did not let an inquiry be conducted and did not let him be sentenced.”
Referring to certain politicians, he said those who were facing allegations of taking Rs 3.5 million and those who had Rs 5 billion in Switzerland cannot pull the country out of crises. He said the PML-N and PPP, like in the past, would strike a deal over the Asghar Khan case verdict. “The two parties will only save each other and will not take any action except for a noora kushti and mere statements,” Khan added. He asked why the Supreme Court’s order had not yet been implemented. “When the time for the real job comes, i.e. to investigate, where is the FIA inquiry?” he questioned.
Commenting on the deteriorating situation in Karachi, he said the provincial government had failed to protect the life and property of the people in the country’s business hub. In his view, de-politicisation of the Sindh administration, especially the police, was the key to restoring peace in Karachi. He said the PML-N had not made any negotiations with the PTI regarding the caretaker setup.
Imran will understand his actual position in polls: Sanaullah
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan would realise the true scope of his political party in the forthcoming general election. Commenting on the statement of Imran Khan in which he said politicians named in the Asghar Khan case should be banned, Sana said after having been deprived of the masses’ support, “Khan’s thinking and understanding capability has been badly damaged and he is trying to support his falling political graph by levelling baseless allegations on others”. He said Khan’s tsunami, which had been brought about by agencies, had now started to recede because the people had seen the true face of the PTI and Imran Khan. Sana said Khan should realise that he would achieve no success at all in the general election and warned him against befooling the people. “Tell them [people] why you did not raise a voice against drone attacks in the US,” he said. The minister said the PML-N believed in service of the people wholeheartedly and would achieve brilliant success in the coming election, purely on the basis of its performance.