Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Friday strongly reacted to Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal's statement, saying his "unwarranted attack on ISPR is absurd because dismal state of Pakistan's economy is known to the world." The interior minister, who is currently in the US, warned the media wing of the military [Inter-Services public Relations] which had said "if the economy is not bad, it is not doing so well either," to refrain from commenting on the state of economy.
"The Sharif-Dar combine has crushed the nation under the debt for generations to come. The Sharif darbaris [courtiers] can not befool the nation," he said, adding, "The statement is part of Dawn Leaks agenda to malign the armed forces of Pakistan and appease external hostile powers." Earlier in the day, he termed the ruckus raised by lawyers' wing of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as the second attack on the country's judiciary as earlier the PML-N had stormed the Supreme Court back in 1997.
An accountability court was set to indict disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in absentia, as he is in London, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd), when the lawyers' wing of the party stormed into the courtroom under the pretext of police action against them, forcing the accountability judge to adjourn the proceedings.
This was a well thought-out strategy by ruling PML-N to delay the court proceedings. Khan took to Twitter and said that the commotion in the accountability court was carried out to protect over Rs 30 billion 'loot' of Sharif family that is stashed in foreign banks.
"Now we know the drama of darbari [courtier] Ahsan Iqbal over the Rangers' presence in NAB court - it was to leave the NAB judge unprotected," he tweeted. He was referring to the October 2 incident when the Rangers took control of the Federal Judicial Complex and did not allow anyone including Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to enter the premises.
An accountability court is hearing three corruption references against the Sharif family and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 judgment in Panama Leaks case. Continuing his comments, Imran said clearly the PML-N is bent upon destroying all state institutions. He asked masses to be "prepared to stand up and defend our state institutions."
He said the destruction of state institutions means the disintegration of the state. "This is the Sharif's agenda which nation must counter," he added.
On November 28, 1997 activists and leaders of the PML-N stormed the Supreme Court, manhandling judges and damaging the premises, while the then Chief Justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah was hearing a contempt case against then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
PTI Spokesman Fawad Chaudhry appealed Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the apex court judge who is supervising and monitoring implementation of Supreme Court's verdict in Panama Papers and overseeing proceedings conducted by NAB and the accountability court, to take notice of the incident. He also called for putting the names of Maryam Safdar and her husband on Exit Control List (ECL), fearing they may escape to London as October 13 proceedings reflect the intentions of the couple.
He also demanded immediate removal of State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry, saying he is the man who is monitoring the security for the courts, adding the Rangers were removed as it was pre-planned and now Talal is full in-charge.
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