LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said the recent audio leaks had exposed the real face of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan who had admitted buying five votes. Talking to the media after appearing before a special court here, he questioned whether there could be a bigger crime than purchasing five votes by a sitting prime minister.
He asked the PTI chief to tell the nation how he got the money for horse trading.
“Tell the nation how many billions you spent on it, how you got the money and wasted them on buying these votes,” he added.
The prime minister said that Imran Khan had been calling horse-trading ‘shirk’ (polytheism) but audio leaks had revealed that he himself was also involved in it. Imran Khan kept using the name of the state of Medina, but look at his works, he added.
He said that Imran Khan claimed to have built many hospitals and universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but all these statements were false. “I have never seen such a deceitful person in my life,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that he appeared before the special court today and it proved that PML-N always respected courts and law, adding that be it a prime minister or a governor, no one was above the law.
PM Shehbaz says Imran committed treason, inflicted irreparable damage to country
He said that it was the reason that Nawaz Sharif, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz, appeared before the Rawalpindi Accountability Court for 100 times on a daily basis in 2017 but he never sought any NRO from the court, rather, he wrote a letter to the Supreme Court of Pakistan for investigations into the Panama Scandal.
Nawaz Sharif and his daughter endured the worst hardships for many years, besides other party leaders, he added.
He said that nothing could be more despicable and reprehensible of Imran Khan than that Maryam Nawaz had received ‘NRO’ from Islamabad High Court (IHC).
He said that Maryam Nawaz had contested her case on merit and she was not acquitted under the amended NAB law, rather, the IHC acquitted her as per case facts and original NAB law.
The prime minister questioned whether he gave NRO to Aleema Khan, sister of PTI chief, adding that the Federal Board of Revenue gave ‘NRO’ to her over false declaration of foreign properties when Imran Khan came into power.
He also questioned clean chit given to Farah Gogi by Anti-Corruption Establishment Punjab, a few weeks ago, adding that whether he gave this NRO.
He said that billions of rupees were embezzled in BRT Peshawar and the PTI government used to get stay orders so that investigations could not be started into it, adding that the former NAB chairman was also involved in it. “Whether this was a stay order or NRO,” he questioned.
The helicopter case was closed during the tenure of Imran Khan, he said and added that did Imran Khan not get a NRO for himself.
Shehbaz Sharif said the PTI chief was answerable to the nation as it had been proved that he was a ‘fraud and a liar’ through facts. He said that Imran Khan conspired against the nation as it was evident from the leaked audio.
He said that Imran Khan used to say loudly that it was an imported government that colluded with America, but all these lies had been exposed in the audio. He said that, in the audio, Imran Khan was heard saying that it was just a ‘game’ and not to mention the name of America.
The premier criticized Imran Khan for bringing disrepute to Pakistan, adding that efforts were being made to mend relations with other countries.
To a question about change in Punjab, he said that if it took place then it would be done in a constitutional manner.