Shah Mehmood Qureshi 'stands where he was'

MULTAN: Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman, Saturday said he still stands where he had always been, as members of his party continue to jump ship.

Qureshi's comments hold significance at a time when some PTI politicians have joined the newly-formed Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) led by senior politico Jahangir Tareen, while others are either looking for different avenues or distancing themselves from the party following May 9 mayhem.

"I stand where I was," the PTI leader said, speaking to journalists outside the sessions court in Multan where he attended the hearing of cases registered against him in the city for involvement in the May 9 riots.

Last week, he had termed Tareen's party "dead on arrival" for its underwhelming launch.

"My conscience is satisfied, my hands are clean," he added.

Qureshi said five fabricated cases were registered against him in Multan pertaining to the vandalism and none of the 13 charges mentioned in FIRs were proven true.

Further speaking about the cases, the senior politician said he was not even present in Multan on the day the incidents took place.

"There should be some fear of God in the administration," he said, criticising the government's actions against him in the city.

"I was arrested in Islamabad. Went to the jail in Adiala, while the cases were registered in Multan," he said, adding that the administration's credibility has been affected by the false cases.

Qureshi said the court has granted him pre-arrest bail. "I was not involved in any vandalism nor am I in favour of it."

"I have only done politics of patriotism in the last 40 years. As a foreign minister, I have defended Pakistani institutions around the world," he said.

Talking about the orders issued by Islamabad High Court's Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Qureshi said: "I felt satisfied that there are judges who make decisions on merit according to the law."

The judge had declared the politician's arrest under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law “illegal” and ordered his release, as he was among the top PTI leaders arrested from Islamabad within 24 hours of the outbreak of violent protests by PTI workers following party chief Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.