News Analysis |
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has demanded the caretaker government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to arrest ex Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and initiate proceedings against the ex PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on corruption charges.
Speaking at a press conference, PTI’s Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry alleged that he is involved in fraud and corruption. Fawad questioned how Justice Chaudhry owns several properties in Lahore and Islamabad when he claimed to be taking no salary during his tenure as CJP.
He accused the entire family of the ex CJP of being involved in a multi-billion scam of Eden Housing Society. “His daughter, his son-in-law, his son, everyone is involved in the billions of rupee scam and must be proceeded against,” Fawad said. PTI’s claims follow Iftikhar Chaudhary’s, decision to challenge nomination papers of PTI chief in different constituencies across the country, as leader of Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party.
Bureaucrats from Punjab appear to have a stranglehold on the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in PML-N’s tenure and the situation has apparently remained the same. In 2013, despite the major reshuffle in Punjab’s bureaucracy, six influential Secretaries of the PML-N led Punjab government kept their role in controversial 2013 polls.
Former CJP challenged Imran Khan’s qualification under 62/63 clauses of the constitution for having a child, without marriage. It is alleged that Khan has a daughter Tyrian from Sita White, a British woman, and has not mentioned her as his daughter in the nomination papers.
Chaudhry argued that, Khan fails to comply with the requirements of the article 62-1(f). According to the article 62-1(f), “a person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless, he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law.”
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Since Khan allegedly had a child outside the wedlock, he cannot be deemed “honest and ameen” to be elected as a member of parliament, according to Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party. PTI is all out to defend its leader and has demanded NAB look into the alleged corruption and embezzlement of Iftikhar Chaudhary’s family.
PTI Attacks Abbasi over Dar
Fawad also criticized Abbasi and urged NAB to summon him to explain, why he helped former finance minister escape the country. Yesterday, a footage of visibly healthy Ishaq Dar emerged, where he was seen quietly leaving the Harley Street Clinic during ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s media talk.
https://youtu.be/paiowURaMUo
It promoted a social media backlash. People condemned Dar for faking illness to evade accountability courts. The accountability court declared him absconder when he failed to appear in a reference pertaining to assets beyond income.
Fawad said. PTI’s claims follow Iftikhar Chaudhary’s, decision to challenge nomination papers of PTI chief in different constituencies across the country, as leader of Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party.
In the court, Dar’s counsel had said that he cannot even stand for more than four minutes citing a heart disease. “How come that a perfectly healthy man is absconding and those who helped him run away are not being proceeded against. It was the prime ministerial plane which took him abroad, and it cannot happen without prime minister’s consent. He and his principal secretary must be made part of proceedings for helping an absconder to abscond,” Fawad demanded.
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Controversial Bureaucratic Reshuffle Worries PTI
He also put forward another demand, where it asked the Punjab chief secretary and the inspector general of police to look into its unsatisfactory transfers which favor PML-N. PTI has shown anger over the transfers in the cities along Punjab’s GT road which is the biggest battleground between PTI and PML-N. He asked the police to review its transfer list, otherwise, PTI will come up with its own list.
Earlier, PTI had accused the former PML-N government of making shady appointments in the last weeks of its tenure to rig the upcoming July 25 polls. Fawad also wrote a couple of letters to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to remain more vigilant and address the negative repercussions of last-ditch transfers/appointments.
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PTI is fighting against those elements trying to keep Imran out of polls deeming him unfit to rule the country. PML-N is known for its bureaucratic power which has the capacity and experience to impact the election results. In bureaucratic transfers, PML-N has a dodgy past and shady present. Bureaucrats from Punjab appear to have a stranglehold on the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in PML-N’s tenure and the situation has apparently remained the same.
In 2013, despite the major reshuffle in Punjab’s bureaucracy, six influential Secretaries of the PML-N led Punjab government kept their role in controversial 2013 polls. This is why PTI is constantly outing pressure on interim set up to remain vigilant and scrutinize the appointments which can compromise and adversely affect the fairness and the credibility of the upcoming elections.