PTI using religion to cover up Imran’s corruption: ministers

Ahsan contended that they were insulting Muslims by hiding their theft behind Seeratun Nabi (SAW)

By Mumtaz Alvi
January 15, 2025
Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressing the National Assembly on January 14, 2025. — Screengrab via PTV
Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressing the National Assembly on January 14, 2025. — Screengrab via PTV

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came under fire in the Senate on Tuesday for allegedly using religion and Seeratun Nabi (SAW) to cover up their leader’s alleged involvement in the 190 million pounds case.

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On the contrary, Leader of the Opposition Syed Shibli Faraz claimed that neither PTI founder chairman Imran Khan nor his spouse had benefited from the matter, as it was purely an initiative to provide platform for learning the Seerat and technology. The opening day of a new session of the new year was marred by noisy protests by the opposition members, who at one time came close to the chairman’s dais to agitate their leaders’ incarceration and ‘political victimisation’. Some of them carried portraits of PTI supremo and incarcerated lawmaker Ejaz Chaudhry. Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar and Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal criticised the leader of the opposition for trying to hide behind the religion and Seerat with regards to the 190 million pounds issue, concerning the Al-Qadir Trust.

Ahsan Iqbal, in response to a hard-hitting speech by Shibli Faraz, said their leader used to tell the whole world that we should show the receipts but when it was time to show the receipts of his own gifts, all the receipts turned out to be bogus.

“If you answer on these bogus receipts, nothing will be asked from you; you used to ask for receipts from others; your own receipts turned out to be fake,” he charged and then said the problem was not about the Al-Qadir Trust case, but about 190 million pounds (Rs64 billion).

He explained that the amount should have come to the treasury of Pakistan, instead it went to the account of Imran Khan’s friend. “It should be revealed who looted that Rs64 billion from the treasury of Pakistan?”

The minister said that a person commits robbery, steals and says that ‘I have built a mosque with the stolen money, and now the theft case against me should be dropped because I have built a mosque’, adding that the one who built a mosque with the stolen money was also a thief. Ahsan contended that they were insulting the Muslims by hiding their theft behind the Seeratun Nabi (SAW). “The university for Seerat of Holy Prophet (SAW) does not need any stolen money.”

About the criticism over a single party coming forth to bid for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), he said the PTI caused a loss of billions of rupees to the national flag-carrier. He alleged they defamed the PIA pilots in the world leading to a ban on national flag carrier’s flights to Europe and the USA. He said the matter would be probed, and the PTI leadership would have to face the law on the charges of ruining PIA and civil aviation.

On the criticism over economic conditions, the minister said $3 billion investment has come from China and work on the largest nuclear power plant having capacity of 1,200MW has started.

The PTI lawmakers staged a noisy protest in the House over, what they called, contempt of Parliament while referring to the non-compliance of the production order of Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, issued by the Senate chairman a day earlier.

Raising the issue, Shibli Faraz thanked the chairman for issuing the production order but regretted that he was still not here, because the Punjab government did not want it on the pretext that ‘high profile prisoner cannot be brought’.

Without naming the Awami National Party, he said some parties were allowed to contest elections without conducting intra-party polls after imposing a fine of a few thousand rupees. He said farce elections were staged and a puppet government was installed.

He said fascism that started even before the elections still continues claiming that the number of political prisoners at present was the highest ever in history. “This had not happened even during martial laws,” he claimed and emphasised that political instability leads to economic instability and law and order complications. He said hundreds of false and fabricated cases have been registered against the PTI leadership. He singled out the 190 million pounds case/Al-Qadir Trust case as a ‘pretext’ to target his leader Imran Khan and the PTI. He regretted that a total welfare project had been made controversial and feared it was a message for those, who could undertake such projects in the country. Shibli Faraz claimed the main components of the ruling coalition had become politically irrelevant as during their days in power, they gave nothing to the country except paralysed institutions, corruption and backwardness. “Your blurred vision has lowered the living standard of people,” he charged.

Law Minister Azam Tarar insisted that PTI’s latest demand that its imprisoned workers and leaders facing terrorism and corruption cases should be released through an executive order was not doable. He contended that the demand was contrary to the opposition party’s claim it has been making in the past that they were neither seeking an NRO nor give such a deal to anyone.

Tarar said the government facilitated a meeting of PTI founder Imran Khan with his party’s negotiation team over the weekend. “Now a demand has come as a result of this meeting that all those jailed PTI workers and leaders who are facing terrorism, corruption and other cases should be released through an executive order. I will submit through the House that Pakistan’s Constitution and law do not allow this,” he said. The minister said that the PTI should approach courts to get relief.

About the production order, he said it was the duty of authorities to implement the production orders of the Senate chairman for PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudry. He said that the matter of production order should be taken up in the third meeting of the government and PTI’s negotiation committee to find a solution to the problem. The law minister said the opposition’s noisy protest in the House during the treasury benches speeches was depressing, adding the 190 million pounds case against Imran Khan was a sub judice matter and the opposition leader should not have talked about this.

Endorsing the remarks of Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, he said, “We shouldn’t use the shield of religion to hide our crimes and thefts. This (case) is an open and shut transaction; 190 million pounds were confiscated by UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) after an inquiry”. The Senate will now meet again Wednesday morning at 11:30am.

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