LAHORE - Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decision has proved that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is involved in corrupt practices.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, he said that if the law had declared Imran Khan guilty of corruption and corrupt practices, the matter could not be decided on roads by burning tyres or violence, but through legal battles and in courts. He said that instead of approaching the courts, the type of violence being committed by them showed that they were guilty and wanted to get decision in their favour through the use of force. He said that Imran Khan had worn many masks and the rule of law was one of those, adding that Imran had a mindset which did not recognise any constitution and law.
The federal minister said that the decision against the PTI chief had come with consensus and all members of the commission unanimously found Imran Khan guilty of corruption, adding that it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that a prime minister had been disqualified for corrupt practices. He said that Panama case was made against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, but no evidence of corruption came to the fore against him in the matter despite formation of joint investigation team, adding that Nawaz Sharif was not disqualified in Panama but on the charge of not receiving AED 10,000 salary from his son.
He said that on the basis of Yousaf Raza Gillani case, Imran Khan should have been disqualified when he did not get implemented Supreme Court orders about the Punjab Local Bodies elections for seven months and violated the court orders. He said that the PTI chief had not been disqualified over violation of the Supreme Court order and receiving salary from his son, but for the offence of corrupt practices and for embezzlement in official gifts, received by him as premier. “We asked Imran khan many times that he used to pay about Rs 150,000 as income tax till 2018, but suddenly his income tax hiked to Rs 9 million level. What was the sources of his income due to which his income tax had reached Rs9 million from Rs 150,000, he added. He said that no PTI spokesman replied that question. He said that the supporters and spokesman for the PTI chief were saying today that Imran Khan was their red line. He questioned sensible PTI people whether they supported the PTI and Imran Khan for supremacy of law in the country or for one-man rule. “If you were attached with the PTI and Imran Khan on the basis of an ideology, then you must consider with a cool mind that a person defrauded them while giving the slogan of a new Pakistan,” Ahsan Iqbal said. He accused Imran Khan of collecting donations from masses in the name of Shaukat Khanum and other institutions and using it for his politics and running a publicity campaign, questioning whether it was not dishonesty. The minister said that the personal rule of Imran Khan might be a red line for a few people within the PTI, but the red line for the 220 million people of Pakistan was different.
He said that Imran Khan crossed Pakistan’s red line, as he unconstitutionally rejected the no-confidence motion and unconstitutionally dissolved the National Assembly of Pakistan, and by not implementing the Supreme Court decision he committed the contempt of court. He asked the PTI chief that if he was truthful, then why he did not file a case against ‘Financial Times’ in London, adding that Imran Khan knew that if he did so, the case would go against him and a stamp of disqualification would also be affixed by the London court.
Ahsan Iqbal further said that Imran Khan traded the honour of the nation by crossing the red line of the trust of the gift and the dignity of the country in the Toshakhana case.
He said that Imran Khan was not bigger than Pakistan’s Constitution, and its Parliament, courts, state, army, and the law. “Whenever you want, you strike the institutions like a football, and launch a blame-game, for harassing people to get decisions of your choice by pressurizing them. You call it ‘mind game’, we call it dishonesty,” the minister added.
He said that the PTI was threatening to dissolve the assemblies of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, adding that if they were serious about holding elections early, who was stopping them; they should send a request for dissolving the assemblies to the governors concerned, and the federal government would welcome it.
He said that if Imran Khan believed that he was truthful then he should approach the courts, but if he attempted to take the law into his hands, then the law would take action against him.
