ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Thursday rejected the government’s proposal of constituting a commission to hold a probe into “foreign conspiracy,” saying no other commission except a high-powered judicial commission is acceptable.
Speaking at a presser, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry along with Farrukh Habib, said that the PTI completely rejects the government’s decision to form a commission and will only recognise a high-powered judicial commission.
“The then PTI cabinet had set terms of reference (TORs), demanding the chief justice of Pakistan to probe it. PTI has already rejected any sort of commission formed by the government. We will only consider commission formed under [an] independent judiciary which will have an open hearing,” he declared.
The statement from the PTI leader came shortly after the press conference by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who announced that the government had decided to form an inquiry commission to investigate ex-premier Imran Khan’s claim of a foreign conspiracy to oust his government.
Fawad said that the original cypher sent by Asad Majeed after a meeting with Donald Lu had already been sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistan by acting speaker National Assembly Qasim Suri, and the chief justice should order an investigation into the matter.
PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry says economy running ‘without a driver’
“The imported government wants to hush up things through FIA [the Federal Investigation Agency], where it has brought its own blue-eyed officials, which is not acceptable. The former cabinet had already made [the] TORs and the chief justice should set up a judicial commission which can probe the matter through [an] open hearing,” he added.
He questioned how the FIA, which is under Shehbaz Sharif, can hold a probe into the cypher, adding Sharif himself is facing graft cases and if he thinks he can hush up things through a fake probe by the FIA, he is mistaken.
He said that terror incidents have increased by 24 per cent since Sharif came into power, adding Sino-Pak relations have hit the lowest ebb due to the attack on its citizens in Pakistan as the incumbent government has failed to give security to Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.
He said that the PTI will not allow anyone to give military bases to the US, adding Imran Khan had already said “absolutely no” to the US and we will not allow the local abettors who have come into power through the help of their US masters to give any airbases to the US.
He said that the days of the “imported government” are numbered, adding “we would like to urge the “imported regime” to call it a day as soon as possible or people are set to drag them out any time soon”.
He said that two-thirds of the federal ministers were on bail, adding that the country had been disrespected as 60 per cent of people in the cabinet are on bail.
To a question, he said that the imported government did not find anything against the government of Imran Khan, adding the only thing with it is the Toshakhana drama, and Farah’s assets beyond means.
“If you are sure about corruption done by Farah why have you failed to file a case against her except that of assets beyond means,” he questioned.
Chaudhry said that PM Shehbaz is yet to appoint an energy minister, saying he wants to make money by keeping the said ministry with himself.
“The distribution of ministries in the Sharif family is being done on a monetary basis,” he maintained.
Chaudhry said that the PTI is holding public gatherings from May 6 to May 20, after which Imran Khan will announce the planned long march onto Islamabad.
“Millions of people will take to the streets to support Imran Khan in the fight for real freedom,” he added.
The former minister also mentioned that a hearing on the case of 25 Punjab Assembly and 22 National Assembly dissident PTI members will be heard in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) tomorrow (Friday).
He said that the ECP has to decide within 30 days, saying that the whole crisis revolves around the case of dissident members.
He warned of the situation getting worse, in case, immediate elections are not held; however, he added that the people should not panic. Speaking on the occasion, Farrukh Habib said that the coalition government has “adopted slavery and deceived people” everywhere.
“They are guests for a few more days and will leave soon,” he said.
Endorsing Fawad’s views, he reiterated that the only demand of the PTI is an independent judicial commission to probe into the foreign conspiracy to oust the democratically-elected government of Imran Khan with the help of local traitors.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022