ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan instead of addressing the nation should have addressed the parliament about the present crises in the country.
Talking to reporters after appearing before the Accountability Court in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case, he said that the parliament session was abruptly adjourned and the prime minister addressed the nation about the present crises.
“No one understands his speech. Everyone was worried that what kind of conversation was made by the prime minister during his speech,” he said.
When he was asked that Prime Minister Imran, during his speech, said that sending back of the French ambassador to his country will cause harm to Pakistan, he said that he should have made this statement in the parliament.
“Who had promised with the protesters regarding sending back the French ambassador to his country,” he said, adding that the protesters for the last many days were saying that the government had promised with them that the French ambassador would be expelled from Pakistan.
In reply to the protesters’ demand the government imposed ban on the party, he said.
He said that in the age of democracy, the government has imposed a ban on a party and was also saying that they were holding negotiations with them.
“If you were holding negotiations with them then why you have proscribed it,” he questioned, adding that such kinds of processes did not happen in a democracy.
Abbasi said that the government did not place the agreement it made with the banned TLP before the parliament and conflicting reports were coming regarding the dialogue between the government and the TLP.
Police personnel, citizens and protesters have been martyred but the prime minister did not say a single word about it, he said, adding that the one who is responsible is not ready to take his responsibility.
To a question that in the past you termed TLP a “Jatta” and it disturbed law and order, and today you are supporting it, he said that what we said and what happened in the past is the part of history.
“A truth commission should be constituted to bring facts of the Faizabad sit-in before the public,” he said.
Earlier, he appeared before Accountability Court-II judge Muhammad Azam Khan in the LNG case against him and others. During the hearing, the court was informed that Abbasi’s counsel Barrister Zafarullah Khan had tested positive for the Covid-19.
The court allowed Abbasi to leave after marking his attendance. The counsel of the co-accused, Aamir Naseem, completed cross-examination of prosecution witness Hassan Bhatti, an assistant director of the Ministry of Petroleum.
However, the court did not record statement of another witness, Allah Nawaz, due to absence of senior counsel, and adjourned hearing of the case till Wednesday (today).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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