PTI says govt paid ‘political bribes’ to NA, PA members

• Imran chairs party meeting in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders have alleged after a party meeting on Monday that the government of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has paid ‘political bribes’ to members of the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly.

During the meeting, chaired by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, it was claimed that the federal and the Punjab governments during its tenure had distributed Rs200 billion among national and provincial ministers from discretionary funds.

The PTI leaders alleged that the distributing such large volumes of funds among the ministers ahead of the general elections amounts to pre-poll rigging. The party called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to take notice of the fund’s distribution from the state treasury.

The time of distribution or the projects for which the funds were allegedly distributed were not specified by the party. The PTI also repeated its demand for early elections to ‘protect the country’ from its ‘worst’ economic, political and administrative crises in history.

A statement released by the PTI’s media cell read that the government was ‘incapable of making decisions.’ The PTI leaders also criticised Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for his ‘influence’ over his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N despite the fact that the former prime minister is president of the ruling party.

They alleged that the cabinet members take directions from the former prime minister instead of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. They also alleged that the division of power within the ruling party has given rise to mistrust and confusion in the country.

The party also condemned what it termed was a campaign led by the former prime minister and his companions against the ‘state’ institutions. “Nawaz Sharif wants to hold the system hostage in order to hide his ‘theft’ and ‘corruption’,” they alleged.