ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has been asked to constitute a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the payment of salaries to the members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ‘Tiger Force’, by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and ex-interior minister Sheikh Rashid.

Asghar Ali Sheikh, a resident of Dadu, Sindh, on Monday filed a petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and cited ex-PM Imran Khan, ex-interior minister Sheikh, the federal government, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Haleem Adil Sheikh, and Ali Zaidi as respondents.

The petitioner alleged that Imran Khan, being the prime minister of the country, had recruited the party’s (PTI) workers – “over one million” as the “Tiger Force” and used them against the incumbent government.

The PTI chairman had “recruited such force for the purpose to use the same against the political rivals and he tried his best to do the same by way of announcing the so-called long march”.

The petitioner further alleged that Sheikh Rashid (respondent no3), used to pay salaries of Tiger Force members “from accounts of different departments” and termed this act against the Constitution.

Asghar submitted that being a citizen he was worried about the “current situation of the country” amid “threats” hurled at national institutions by the PTI leaders.

He further stated that the PTI chairman also talked about “the division of Pakistan into three parts” during an interview earlier this month. It claimed that the leaders of the former ruling party “wanted to create anarchy” in Pakistan as they issued threats that “the long march will be bloody”.

The petitioner prayed before the court to direct the FIA to conduct an inquiry into the payment of the salaries to members of the “Tiger Force”. He also urged that the PTI leaders be restrained from making threatening remarks, such as “bloody march” among other threats to spread anarchy in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022