Lahore - A senior aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has accused ‘anti-democratic’ forces of trying to oust the premier.
In an interview with German radio Deutsche Welle broadcast on Tuesday, senior PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq said the JIT report about Sharif family’s offshore businesses is flawed and that PM Sharif will continue to fight against a conspiracy to dislodge the country's elected government.
DW: Political analysts say the Joint Investigation Team's report has damaged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's reputation. Do you agree with the assessment?
Raja Zafarul Haq: Not at all. Initially, the prime minister wrote a letter to the Supreme Court, asking the judges to form a judicial commission to inquire the case. The commission included five senior judges. Later, the commission constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which was comprised of six senior government officials and was tasked with the investigation of the Panama Papers case against the Sharif family.
The JIT took 60 days to compile and submit a 10-volume report to the commission. Nine out of ten volumes have been made public. But we demand that all 10 volumes as well as video recordings of the Sharif family's JIT interviews be made available.
The JIT investigation is flawed. One of the most important witnesses of the case was a Qatari prince, but the JIT did not care to interview him.
“We also want to know which JIT member made PM Sharif's son's inquiry picture public.”
DW: What do you have to say about the composition of the JIT? Why were military intelligence officials part of an inquiry that dealt with a civilian case?
Raja: It was totally wrong. Members of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were part of the JIT, which should not have been allowed because the prime minister is a civilian representative.
Intelligence officials also went abroad to conduct the inquiry and later formulated the report to suit their interests. They were given full authority to deal with a civilian matter.
DW: Your party has reservations against the JIT report, but don't you think that PM Sharif should step down after such serious allegations?
Raja: PM Sharif will not resign. He was elected as prime minster by the people of Pakistan, who gave him a huge mandate to rule the country. There is no need for the PM to step down. Prime Minister Sharif has a majority in parliament and he will complete his term. We will continue to fight for the supremacy of democracy in Pakistan.
DW: How do you view the civilian-military ties in Pakistan? Some experts accuse the army generals of pulling the strings in a campaign to destabilise Sharif's government.
RAJA: It is unfortunately true. Historically, the elected governments in Pakistan have always been hindered to function smoothly and there have always been attempts to undermine democratic forces. For that reason, democracy has never flourished in Pakistan. But we are determined to face all challenges to uphold the democratic process.
DW: In case of a potential Sharif ouster, how do you expect the international community to react?
Raja: The international community should not allow democracy to derail in Pakistan. Political parties have not been given a chance to evolve and work properly since Pakistan's independence.
The international community should not just be an observer; it must speak out in favour of democratic sustainability in Pakistan.
DW: Some analysts argue that the military establishment does not favour Nawaz Sharif because he seeks friendly ties with Pakistan's arch-rival India. Do you also think that PM Sharif is being targeted because of his foreign policy inclinations?
Raja: We want to establish good relations with our regional neighbours and the rest of the world. In the run-up to the 2013 general elections, Nawaz Sharif promised that if he came to power, he would pursue a foreign policy that would normalise ties with Afghanistan and India. After assuming power, he has been working toward this goal.
