PTI failed to prove charges: Pervaiz

ISLAMABAD -  PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Imran Khan had failed to prove his allegations against Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said Imran had levelled allegations of corruption and money laundering against the prime minister, but he failed to present any evidence or witness in the court to substantiate them.

The evidence of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) comprised newspaper clippings and pages downloaded from Internet, he added.

Pervaiz said the lawyers of Sharif family could have asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the false case and file a suit against Imran Khan for falsehood.

The PTI chief disrespected the Supreme Court judges, he said adding that the office of prime minister was the most respectable and Imran Khan had made false accusations against the person of Nawaz Sharif.

Pervaiz Rashid said Imran Khan had adopted a dictatorial attitude in the court. He was acting like dictators, who had dismissed judges and taken oath from them (judges) under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO), he added.

He alleged that it had become clear that Imran Khan was lying as evident from changing his original stance in the case.

By adopting such behaviour, Imran Khan tried to weaken the democratic system in the country, he added.

Pervaiz Rashid said had Imran Khan conscience, he would have regretted the allegations levelled by him before the court.

He should have accepted that he had wasted the time of court and people by filing a false case, he added.

He said when Imran Khan levelled allegations seven months back, the Prime Minister wrote a letter to the Supreme Court for the formation of a commission. But the PTI did not let the government form the commission, he added.

He said even on the PTI’s demand, the interior minister agreed for an investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency but Imran Khan again backtracked.

The PTI created hurdles in making of Terms of Reference (ToR) and boycotted the parliamentary committee which was reviewing legislation to change the law of inquiry commission, he added.

Pervaiz said the PML-N was clear that Nawaz Sharif and his family had committed nothing in violation of the law of Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he said, launched mega projects in the country and liberalized different sectors of the economy and all this was done in a transparent manner.

Pervez Musharraf and the two governments of Benazir Bhutto failed to find any corruption in the projects initiated by the governments of Nawaz Sharif, he added. He said the people of Pakistan had seen the real face of Imran Khan and they would vote for the PML-N in next general election in 2018.

Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rehman said Imran Khan was the “king of U-turns” as he had set the worst example in the Supreme Court by threatening not to accept the court verdict.

When the SC judges asked the PTI about forming of a commission, its lead counsel Naeem Bukhari said the party would not accept the formation of a commission and if the court formed it, the party would boycott the proceedings, she added.

Anusha said the PTI counsel selectively read the evidence which was provided by the lawyers of Sharif family.

She said Imran Khan wanted a decision of his own choice from the Supreme Court. She said it was clear that the Sharif family owned flats in London in 2006 and not in 1992.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Law Zafarullah Khan said Imran Khan claimed that the four flats of London cost Rs 50 billion, while in reality those were worth Rs 90 million. He said the Sharif family was fully cooperating with the court and accepted all the options, including formation of a commission as well as proceedings in the Supreme Court.

He said Imran Khan did not submit replies in the court in cases filed against him for committing financial irregularities.

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