The Supreme Court (SC) Tuesday ordered Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in rental power case along with 19 others and present them before the court on Wednesday.
As former minister for water and power, Ashraf is accused of receiving kickbacks in the rental power projects and various other scams.In addition to Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, other highly placed individuals likely to face charges in the wake of SC ruling include Liaqat Jatoi, Naveed Qamar, Shaukat Tareen and Waqar Masood. Immigration authorities deputed at all 24 airports of the country were directed to place the accused on Exit Control List (ECL). Earlier in March 2012, the court had directed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take actions against minsters involved in the case. Subsequently, the NAB had issued arrest warrants of 33 people including the prime minister.
The PM reacted to the developments by holding telephonic conversation with PML (N) Leader, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party leader, Mehmood Khan Achkzai, ANP leader, Mr Asfandyar Wali Khan, MQM leader, Altaf Hussain and PML (Q) leader, Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and discussed the prevalent political situation of the country.
The political leaders vowed to uphold the constitution and the democratic system. They said that “democracy was achieved in the country after great sacrifices and struggles and it will be defended at all costs. Any attempt to subvert the constitution, derail the democratic dispensation or adopt unconstitutional measures should be dealt with firmly”. The PM said that the government was exercising restraint, patience and tolerance, which should not be taken as a sign of weakness. Nobody will be allowed to impose his personal agenda”. It was agreed that the parliamentary parties should focus on the general elections under supervision of the Election commission.
Moreover, MQM has scheduled an emergency meeting of its central coordination committee to draft future strategies. Meanwhile commenting on the developments, PML-N MNA and senior journalist, Ayaz Ameer termed Rehman Malik as a minister of comedy. He said that contradictory statements of Rehman Malik had brought the parliament under an existential threat.