LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has demanded resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan besides initiating legal action against him over misdeclaration and misstatement in foreign funding case.

While addressing a news conference along with Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Rana Sanaullah Khan, the PML-N leader maintained that the report by ECP’s scrutiny committee in illegal funding case has proved that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) received funds from foreign nationals and companies.

Under the law of land, no political party can take funding from any foreign company. In this regard, she named a foreign company which provided funds of US 2.1 million dollars.

“One Mumtaz Ahmed had given thousands of dollars to the PTI and in return Imran Khan gave him a hotel in Nathia Gali,” she said.

“Funds were received in the names of four employees of PTI namely Tahir Iqbal, Mohammad Arshad, Mohammad Rafique and Nauman Afzal.”

Maryam Nawaz said that the PTI used the religious card to conceal his wrongdoing. “The PML-N as well as the Opposition demand Imran Khan to tender his resignation while an investigation must be launched into all undeclared accounts that the PTI government owns. Just like a JIT was formed against PM Nawaz Sharif, an investigation team must be formed to probe the PTI too,” she said.

She added that since all the allegations of financial wrongdoing have been proven against the PTI, the people of Pakistan are waiting for accountability. The PML-N leader said as per the State Bank of Pakistan’s report, there were 26 accounts of PTI out of which 18 were active but the PTI declared only four accounts. The PTI-government used all tactics to hinder the proceedings in foreign funding case, she added.

She alleged that Imran Khan has named “naked corruption” as donation. The PTI disrupted the proceedings of the foreign case for the last seven years, and after the scrutiny committee’s foreign funding report, wrongdoings of Imran Khan have fully exposed.

“Finally, Imran has been exposed as a corrupt and dishonest political conman which raises questions on Saqib Nisar who declared him “Sadiq & Ameen”.

“Now Imran Khan will have to be answerable to the masses for submitting fake certificates to the ECP,” she demanded.

When asked about Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan, Maryam said that the party will decide about it. She added that Nawaz was facing life threats and had to proceed abroad due to his health condition. Answering a question about leaked recording of her phone call with Pervez Rasheed, she demanded an apology for tapping her phone without her knowledge. “As a citizen of Pakistan, it was a violation of my fundamental right to tap my personal phone call. Therefore, I am not going to comment on this issue unless I receive an apology.”

Moreover, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah accompanied by Azma Bokhari told media after the party meeting that the government was behind the leak of Maryam’s audiotape.

He added that the audiotape was made public on the day when the ECP’s scrutiny report on the PTI foreign funding case was made public. He claimed that the government got the audio tape leaked with the intent that it would get benefit during the local government polls, adding that the attempt would go in vain.

Endorsing the statement of the ISPR DG regarding the deal, Rana said that Nawaz Sharif had never desired to strike a deal and had not become a part of any such plan which imposed the inept rulers on Pakistan. The powers which brought these rulers can repent their mistake by removing them, he opined.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022