- Opposition party claims JUI-F receives funds from Libya
Pakistan Tehreek–i-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Wednesday reiterated demand for resignations from Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar for alleged money laundering.
Addressing a press conference, MNA Asad Umar said it was in the best interests of the prime minister and the finance minister to resign. The prime minister has been the chairman and paid employee of his son’s company, he claimed.
He also claimed that the documents and affidavits the Sharifs submitted to the JIT proved to be fake. The Sharif family would not have faced this embarrassment if the prime minister had resigned 15 months ago, he said. He also called on Senator Dar to step down from his ministerial position.
“Dar sahib, your statement in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case given ‘under oath’ proved to be true. You appointed your friend as the SECP chairman, and he is now facing an FIR on the Supreme Court’s orders,” he said. “Do you really want to hold on to your position, Dar sahib? For how long will you keep defending and facilitating looters,” he claimed.
He also claimed that Senator Dar, by hurling ‘personal attacks’ at Imran Khan, had instead ended up boosting the PTI chairman’s respect among the public. “Dar sahib, you said that Imran Khan used to sit outside your office for donations. He did it for the sake of the poor and not for himself,” he remarked.
Responding to a question on how the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project might be affected by a regime change, if any, Umar said all political parties support the China-backed mega project. “CPEC is not dependent on any government. China remains the closest friend of Pakistan, irrespective of who is in power here,” he assured.
MNA Umar also said that in today’s age of social media, it was only a matter of time before someone confirmed from Microsoft that the font Calibri was made available for public use only in 2007, and not before. The ‘Calibri controversy’ emerged after the JIT report revealed that Maryam Nawaz had submitted a declaration regarding offshore companies, Nielsen and Nescoll Limited, dated 2006. The JIT found that the declaration was typed in a font (Calibri) that was not publicly available till 2007.
PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood also said the prime minister had lost the moral capacity to rule in the aftermath of the JIT revelations. “I pay tribute to the JIT for their bravery and professionalism. Their efforts in preparing the detailed report are commendable. Anyone who attempts corruption in the future would think 20 times before doing it,” he said.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the PML-N was being used to hide the illegal gains of the Sharif family. He said that there was a discrepancy between the accounts of the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif. “When you hold press conferences on public money, then how are party funds being utilised,” he said.
The PTI leader also alleged that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Fazlur Rehman gets funds from Libya. PTI leader Murad Saeed claimed that the prime minister was party to every conspiracy within Pakistan. Earlier, the PTI leaders had reiterated their demand for resignations from the prime minister for alleged money laundering.
