- Abid Sher says Zardari should be tried in military court, placed on ECL
- Senator Ghani lashes out at PML-N, saying PM has only been given relief
Former president and Pakistan People Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari should be tried in a military court and his name should be added to the exit control list (ECL), Abid Sher Ali, the state minister for water and power, demanded on Saturday.
“He (Zardari) is the root of all evil in Pakistan,” he said while talking to journalists during his visit to the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) Headquarters in Faisalabad. He referred to Zardari as a dacoit, saying all joint investigation teams formed in Sindh reached the conclusion that the former president was the leader of corruption.
In Sindh, “all businesses belong to Zardari, and destroying all public institutions is part of the PPP’s manifesto,” the state minister said. He said that there have been many corruption charges against Zardari for years, who allegedly minted money and gathered assets of billions of rupees.
He said that the cases of Dr Asim, Sharjeel Memon, Ayyan Ali, Muzaffar Tappi etc were all about Zardari. Similarly, statements of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and Uzair Baloch also made Zardari’s corruption clear, he said, and questioned why his name was not in the ECL.
The state minister advised PPP leader Senator Aitzaz Ahsan to clear the position of his wife about allegations of corruption in LPG quota and then teach law to others. All parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should appear before the JIT if they still have any complaints against the PML-N, he added.
Responding to a question, the state minister said that the PML-N had accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court in Panama case in letter and spirit and its leaders would also appear before the joint investigation team when and where they will be called. He said that the PML-N critics should also present themselves for accountability if they believe that they are not corrupt.
Responding to the allegations levelled by Abid Sher Ali, Senator Saeed Ghani of the Pakistan People’s Party said that it has been identified that the Sharif clan was corrupt. “The prime minister has not been cleared, he has only been given relief,” he said. “When thieves are identified, their children create a ruckus. But the joint investigation team is all show. It will meet the same fate as the Model Town report,” he said.
The lawmaker also blamed that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was the main character in the ‘news leaks’ case. PPP leader Moula Bux Chandio also lashed out at the PML-N leaders, stating that the political people should engage in logical and intelligent debates and don’t take the route of cursing.
“I won’t respond to the PML-N leaders in their style but someone told me that the PML-N leaders are lashing out at us today. I responded by saying today is their day to do so, after all, they have been declared liars and corrupt people by the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement. “There could not be a bigger insult to a political leader than the highest court declaring they submitted bogus evidence of their innocence,” he stated.
Former federal minister and PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said that he (Abid Sher) would only comment if a ‘sensible person’ makes a statement. He said that the government has no hindrance in forming any JIT, and the PPP has no objection placing Nawaz Sharif and Ayaan Ali in the same line.