ISLAMABAD
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday regretted the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision on his petition against the appointment of the NAB chairman, however said he and his party respected the SC decision.
In a statement, Imran said his party maintained the position that the appointment was a clear case of a deal between the government and PPP, adding that this is why the government was aided by PPP lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan in the case.
He felt that given the way democracy is proceeding with the shadow of corruption and nepotism, the people would not see change for the better and would keep yearning for accountability of the leadership.
He asserted that both the PML-N and PPP need to maintain politics of muk muka (give and take) especially on the issue of accountability since both had glaring corruption cases against them which the NAB chief would now bring to closure.
Imran Khan listed the facts proving PML-N-PPP muk muka and the non-suitability of the incumbent to the office of NAB chairman speaks for themselves.
One: the prosecutors pursuing the cases involving Asif Zardari remain those who were appointed by the previous regime and who proved to be “friendly prosecutors” for the other influential people who were co-accused in these cases, because they acquitted these co-accused in a highly controversial manner in 2011.
This was reported in the media at the time leading to the chief justice taking note and forwarding the issue to the LHC. After determining the veracity of the news stories the LHC ordered an inquiry, which is still ongoing, against the concerned accountability judges. Yet the concerned NAB prosecutor Chaudhry Riaz has not laid this crucial fact before the Rawalpindi Accountability Court.
Two: with the appointment of the new NAB chairman it is expected the accountability court, which has not been apprised by NAB of the inquiry into the controversial manner of earlier acquittals of the co-accused, will conclude the hearing into the SGS, Cotecna references against Zardari in weeks.
Three: the same NAB prosecutor is also presenting a proclaimed offender in the ARY case, Javed Talat, as a prosecution witness in the SGS and Cotecna cases to give the influential accused a major advantage.
Imran said it was clear that NAB was going quickly through the motions to dismiss all cases against the PPP and PML-N leaders and the pace had been quickened after the appointment of the new NAB Chairman.
He said that the whole politics of muk muka is also why the pre-election statements and promises made by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif about bringing back Zardari’s looted wealth have been long forgotten.
“This is shameful and a travesty of justice with the victims being the poor people of Pakistan,” Khan concluded.