Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said that his party played a vital role for the restoration of the judiciary and it could not even think about ridiculing or violating its verdict. "We accept every decision of the Supreme Court. We have no objection over the FIA's investigation into the IJI matter," Nawaz said while talking to a private television channel during a talk show on Thursday.
Responding on a question about Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's remarks about the FIA probe, Nawaz Sharif said that Chaudhry Nisar had just expressed his reservations. He said that the Supreme Court had itself expressed reservations about FIA's performance. Nawaz Sharif said that the Supreme Court had also declared that Interior Minister Rehman Malik was not Sadiq and Ameen. About Younus Habib's claim that he gave Rs 2.5 million to Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N President said that this claim had been made by a person whose criminal role was known to everyone. He said that because of this reason, "our previous government removed him from service".
"Younus Habib embezzled millions of rupees from Mehran Bank, including Rs 300 million, Rs 930 million and Rs 470 million." Nawaz Sharif wondered why Younus Habib remembered all other names except for the leaders of the PPP. He said that he could not remember ever meeting Younus Habib. Nawaz Sharif said that he was considering taking legal action against Younus Habib.
Regarding the statement of Asad Durrani, the former ISI chief, the PML-N President said that he (Durrani) was trying to run a parallel government. He did present such a suggestion, which was "very astonishing". He said that he would disclose details of this suggestion in a proper forum. Nawaz Sharif said that he (Durrani) was "very angry" after he (Nawaz) rejected this proposal. He pointed out" "Mohtarma (Benazir Bhutto) appointed him (as Pakistan's) Ambassador to Germany. (General Pervez) Musharraf (Retd) sent him to Saudi Arabia as an Ambassador where we were in exile."
Rejecting the assertions that he had taken any money, he said that no one had given him any money and he had not taken money from anybody. He reminded that former Chief of Army Staff Aslam Beg had said that Nawaz Sharif had not taken money from anyone. He pointed out that in 1990, when it was rumoured that he had taken Rs 2.5 million, "our industry deposited Rs 920 million in taxes. During our exile, they forcibly extorted Rs 115 million from Hamza Shahbaz. Our houses were illegally occupied, the rent of which amounted to millions of rupees and we have so far not claimed it".
Nawaz Sharif said that he remained Punjab finance minister, chief minister as well as prime minister twice. He insisted that he did not utilise even a single penny from the secret fund during this period. He said that he had even not drawn a single penny of his salary, but handed it over to various charitable organisations.
He asked: "Where are Rs 500 million taken from the Intelligence Bureau's secret fund during governor rule in Punjab in 2009?" Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira welcomed the statement made by the PML-N president, but said: "It was not just the question of accepting money. It is the question of stealing the mandate of people, and conspiring against an elected government. All those who were part of this conspiracy and benefitted from it politically must be brought to book."
PML-N leader Khwaja Asif said that all probes would fail no matter who conducted probes against the PML-N. "It doesn't matter if the probe against the PML-N is conducted by a commission, comprising Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik, Pervaiz Elahi, Imran Khan or Qamar Zaman Kaira - all will fail," he said. "PPP's propaganda cannot divert public attention away from its corruption and bad governance," Asif said, adding that the federal government was misinterpreting the Supreme Court judgement in the Asghar Khan case to serve its vested interest.
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