Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Wednesday accused Malik Riaz Hussain, a property tycoon, of hatching a conspiracy against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by blackmailing his son Dr Arsalan Iftikhar to manipulate cases against him.
"There is no big crime other than the move by a 'person' who trapped and blackmailed the Chief Justice's son just to manipulate cases against him," Chaudhry Nisar said while talking to media persons outside the Parliament House. He was referring to the suo motu notice taken by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry against his own son for allegedly taking bribe and accepting foreign trips from Malik Riaz. He said that it was high time to present the truth before the nation about the 'dealings' between President Asif Ali Zardari and Malik Riaz Hussain. "It has now become necessary to tell the nation that a person wanted by NAB became a blue-eyed of the former dictator Pervez Musharraf and currently of President Zardari," Nisar said.
Nisar, who refused to answer media queries, also maintained that nine retired generals of the army were also employed by Malik Riaz and emphasised that it should be made public that how that 'man' became a billionaire overnight. He also demanded that the matter of forced occupation of lands owned by people from his constituency in Rawalpindi should also be resolved. Nisar had alleged that Malik Riaz encroached upon the lands of thousands of people in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA).
He, however, did not elaborate on the case against Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, saying it was inappropriate to comment on a sub judice matter. Chaudhry Nisar also maintained that Malik Riaz spent "so much money" on certain "influential men", adding that it was now necessary to know what kind of perks and privileges he (Malik Riaz) was enjoying in return.
He also came down harshly on some media organisations, accusing them of taking money from Malik Riaz. "Today, justice demands to know how the man blackmailed the Chief Justice's son to achieve his desired objectives," he added. Accusing Malik Riaz of misusing Pakistan Navy's name for his housing society, naming it "Bahria Town" and also questioned his connection with Pakistan Army hierarchy.
In an apparent move to criticise Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hamid Khan, Chaudhry Nisar, without naming anyone, also alleged that some renowned lawyers, who were in the forefront of the movement for independent judiciary, were also enjoying perks and privileges offered by Malik Riaz. About the PML-N's protest anti-government campaign, Chaudhry Nisar said that his party would continue to protest inside and outside the Parliament House. He also announced that a protest demonstration would be held in Rawalpindi on June 10 against Prime Minister Gilani, power outages and price hikes. Another protest rally would also be held in Lahore on June 14, he added.