‘Where is the accountability for those who advised me to leave PTI?’ asks Javed Hashmi

MULTAN – Political stalwart and former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Javed Hashmi questioned accountability for those that had advised him to leave his previous party at an unexpected press conference in Multan on Wednesday.

Hashmi, who has also been a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), believes the Panama Papers probe is insufficient if it does not hold accountable both those who had told him that leaving PTI would be a good idea, and those who had done nothing to stop him from leaving.

“Why just Nawaz Sharif? He actually never advised me to leave the PTI,” Hashmi said. “I want everyone who said the PTI is ‘done as a party’ and ‘will only go downward’ to be held accountable and be interrogated by a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) as well.”

Claiming a plot was afoot to take down any remaining chances that he could be relevant in Pakistani politics again, Hashmi alleged that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had also said that PTI had no future.

“I asked Imran ‘what do you mean?’ He asked me in return ‘what are you still doing here?’” Hashmi alleged. “I want that man especially interrogated for forging hopes and aspirations.”

“Rigging was the issue earlier, now it is Panamagate, what about Hashmigate? What about rigging my chances of being a senior leader in the topmost political party in the country again?”