No tape sent to Punjab Forensic Laboratory to get report: Firdous

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Saturday said the Punjab Forensic Laboratory had not issued any report on an audio and video tape as nothing was sent to it for the purpose.

Speaking at a press conference here, she said some sections of the media aired a report about the audio and video tape referring to the director general of Punjab Forensic Laboratory.

The report telecast on the media was the work of a 'mafia of liars', whose job was to create baseless stories, she added.

Dr Firdous said the Cyber Crime Wing of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had its own arrangements and it would submit its report to the Supreme Court ,which was looking into the issue of tape.

She said the video tape was 16 years old, which was tempered and reduced to five minutes with an aim to blackmail.

She strongly condemned the media campaign run from behind the scenes about the audio and video tape, and denied that any final report about it was made. There was no reality in the things that were being said, and the media reports were baseless and unfounded, she stressed.

The special assistant said during her appearance in the accountability court, Maryam Safdar Awan made her dress part of a marketing campaign proving that she was devoid of political maturity.

The 'party of liars' was giving a new twist to the political situation and was giving an impression that its leadership was compelled to go for an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance), she added.

She said the Pakistan Muslim League (N) was posing that it had such a high character and conscience that it was refusing to accept the NRO offered to it.

Dr Firdous said nobody would accept the present narrative of Maryam Safdar Awan as her party was misleading the people of Pakistan through false and poisonous propaganda. The party was playing with the nerves of the people, she added.

She said the PML-N was following the policy that lies should be told too much so that they seemed to be true.

Maryam Safdar had lied on the Panama issue as she had been saying that she did not own a property and later she told lies about the Calibri Font, she reminded.

Dr Firdous said the father of Maryam had refused to acknowledge the deal signed by him, but later a Saudi prince came to Pakistan and showed an agreement, proving that the Sharifs were certified liars.

The Sharif family made the people fool, left them alone and went into exile with their suitcases to live a life of pleasure at Saroor Palace, she recalled.

She said today the PML-N committee in its meeting took up  issue of the tape.

She said the media had an important and participatory role in changing the social fabric and should think about the repercussions of a statements aired by it.

Dr Firdous said Ahsan Iqbal, nicknamed Arstu Khan, kept himself busy in building a sports stadium in the border area of Pakistan. What happened there was before the nation as when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) called him and asked as to how he had sent billions of rupees on the project for a specific purpose.

Ahsan Iqbal did not have time to answer the questions of NAB about Public Procurement Rules and the process of tendering but he had time to mislead people and pile up falsehood, she added.

The special assistant said now Ahsan was saying that as the report on audio and video tape was true, Nawaz Sharif should be released.

She warned that the PML-N wanted to take away the rights of courts of Pakistan, NAB, FIA and other institutions as was happening in the past.

It was not acceptable for that party that the state institutions move forward independently to observe rule of law, she said, adding the latest meeting of the PML-N was a 'sitting of liars', which formed a strategy on how to spread lies and subvert the reality.

Firdous congratulated the people of Pakistan on the elections in the merged tribal districts. The tribal people showed solidarity with Pakistan and the elections were a victory for them as they had sacrificed a lot in the war against terrorism, she added.

She said free, fair and transparent elections were held in the tribal districts. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which had the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, provided a level playing field to all the political parties.

Different political parties, she said, fielded 285 candidates, including two women on 16 seats of the KP Provincial Assembly and the tribal people exercised their right to vote in line with their constitutional and democratic rights.

The special assistant lauded the armed forces, civilian institutions and proud tribesmen on the holding of elections. Peace in the border areas was established with the sacrifices of people, she added.

She was hopeful that sustainable peace would establish due to elections which  would politically and economically empower the people as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Dr Firdous said the people would elect the PTI's candidates as Imran Khan was the only hope for them.

She said the conspiracies hatched under an international agenda would be foiled due to the elections.

She termed the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the United States important. The prime minister, she added, travelled in a commercial airline to save the nation's money.

She said the prime minister, as a visionary leader, would advocate and protect the interests of Pakistan during his visit to the US. He would apprise the international community about the efforts of Pakistan against terrorism and sacrifices of 76,000 civilians and armed forces personnel in the war against terrorism and get them recognized, she added.

To a question, the special assistant said the Attorney General for Pakistan was abroad due to Kulbhushan Jadhav's case and on his return, he would present the government's viewpoint before the Supreme Court about the audio and video tape return on next date of hearing of the case.

To another question, she said the world was looking towards Pakistan as it had emerged as an important player in the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan.

She said both the civil and military leadership were on same page, who would protect the national security and rights of the nation during the visit to the United States.

Pakistan, she said, was now known as an ambassador of peace under the leadership of Imran Khan. The only agenda of the present leadership was to take the country forward.

She said during his address in Mianwali, the prime minister categorically stated that no NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) would be given to anybody and there would be no flexibility in that regard.

She said the opposition was facing political suffocation and was only surviving because of the oxygen provided by the media.

The government was not in negotiation and consultation with the opposition which was only left to use the legal options, she added.

Dr Firdous said the opposition could alleviate its sufferings by giving the money trail and members of the Sharif family living abroad should appear before the courts in Pakistan.

She said the Senate deputy chairman was also facing a motion of no-confidence besides the Senate chairman.

She pointed out that Pakistan Peoples Party leader Asif Ali Zardari himself had got elected Sadiq Sanjrani, who did nothing wrong to face wrath of the opposition. Sanjrani wanted to run the Senate according to the Constitution, but the opposition parties desired to run it as per their wishes, she noted.

She said if any constitutional crisis arose, then the president would play his role according to the Constitution. The country could not afford any political adventurism and a danger to the institution of Senate, she added.

She said the government believed in the constitutional sanctity and would counter any attack on the Constitution.

Replying to a question, the special assistant said India tried to get Pakistan included into the blacklist of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) but its attempt was foiled with the support of friendly countries, including Turkey, China and Malaysia.

She said Pakistan was made part of the grey list because of the money laundering done by individuals in the opposition.

She said the action against banned organizations was taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) and not because of any other issue.