- Info minister says Musharraf formed NAB to victimise PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif
- Adds if Mustafa Kamal has proof against MQM he should present it before committee formed by interior minister
Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Sunday said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was not afraid of accountability by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as it had been facing such trials for many years.
Talking to reporters here, the minister said the present NAB was set up by former dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf to victimise PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif but the Bureau could not prove any wrong-doing against the PML-N leadership in the past nor would it be able to do so in future.
Rashid said the PML-N had only expressed reservations about certain NAB laws while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Isaf (PTI) government of Imran Khan had amended certain accountability laws in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sacked the provincial Ehtesab Commission chief as well. As regards the assets, the minister said PM Sharif had declared even a single penny he owned.
Replying to a question, he said the PML-N was not afraid of accountability. The Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf regimes had launched accountability against the PML-N but could not prove anything against it, he reiterated.
Rashid said the accountability law was included in the Charter of Democracy (CoD) which was signed by the two major political parties of the country in 2005 while the present NAB laws were jotted down by Musharraf who had founded a “Musharraf League” enforcing these laws. “Some persons had left the PML-N for fear of accountability and joined Musharraf then,” he added.
The minister said the PML-N had been facing accountability for years and now it was the responsibility of its government to put the institutions on the right direction. “The PML-N will improve the NAB laws so that no honourable person is publicly ridiculed for no crime,” he added.
About Mustafa Kamal’s revelations, Rashid said if Kamal had undeniable proofs of connection between Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing then he should present the same in the committee formed by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
He said everyone knew the circumstances in Karachi when the PML-N government was sacked in 1999. “Many towering personalities like Hakeem Saeed, Shahid Hamid and Syed Salahuddin were murdered. The PML-N had to sacrifice its government in Sindh when it launched investigations to nab the killers,” he added.
Responding to a question, the minister said Musharraf strengthened those elements by making their entry into the corridors of power in Sindh, adding that those elements and PTI Chief Imran Khan had flanked Musharraf during the referendum campaign to perpetuate his dictatorial rule. “Musharraf and Imran Khan should also be investigated for backing criminals in Karachi,” he asserted.
About Imran Khan’s revelations about the RAW, the minister said he PTI chief must be held accountable for hiding facts about the Indian intelligence agency for almost 12 years.
About Hussain Nawaz Sharif, he said nobody could run an illegal business in the United Kingdom (UK). No allegation had been leveled by the British government against the PML-N gpvernment while politically motivated mud-slinging against leaders was common in Pakistan, he added.
About the opposition of Women Protection Bill 2015, Rashid said the bill had been passed by the Punjab Assembly. “Since the law has been promulgated in the Punjab only, therefore, persons domiciled in KP should not be wary of it,” he added.
Regarding participation in the T20 World Cup in India, the minister said that Pakistan was willing to send its cricket team if India assured security. “India should exhibit the same large-heartedness and sportsman spirit which Pakistani crowds had extended to the Indian teams in the past,” he added. “Pakistan wishes to play in every country and expects the other countries to reciprocate so that our playgrounds bustle with life and activity,” the minister said.