Pakistan under threat from 'internal conspiracy' by Imran Khan: Punjab law minister

Punjab Minister for Law Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Sunday said that Pakistan is not under any threat from a "foreign conspiracy" as is the narrative being drummed by the PTI since it was removed from government, rather it is under threat from an "internal conspiracy" by former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

He was addressing a press conference in Lahore flanked by fellow PML-N member and Spokesperson Government of Punjab, Ataullah Tarar.

The PML-N leader said that while Imran Khan was in power, he was nothing but praise for the army and its chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, saying the government and the institution are  on "one page", and "also admitting that it had a role in keeping the government afloat".

"But as soon as it returned to its original position of neutrality, the way Imran Khan badmouthed it, is before you," said the minister, adding that negativity and evil was attached to neutrality.

"[Imran Khan made it be as though] if you remain neutral, you are opposing God and the Quran, and siding with evil."

The Punjab minister said that Imran Khan is "the only man who thinks he alone is good".

He said that the PTI chairman then assumed a new position when he began to perceive his government is under threat and that's when he started to speak of a "foreign conspiracy".

The minister then proceeded to play an audio that was recently leaked which purportedly features former first lady Bushra Bibi, allegedly instructing the PTI's social media manager Dr Arsalan Khalid to run trends declaring people as traitors.

He said that it was around this time that there began a mention of a "conspiracy" and a "letter".

"If there was a letter, you were in power for 28 days after that, and you said that you had discovered a conspiracy, then why did you not summon the country's charges d' affairs, and why did you not pen a response? And what sort of a conspiracy is this in which the man is himself telling your ambassador about it?" the minister asked.

He said there can be nothing more "illogical" than this.

"I think these people do not even know the meaning of the word conspiracy," he added.

"The basic ingredient of any conspiracy is that it is secretive, discreet, hidden."

Malik Muhammad said that diplomats speak to one another the world over and  the same practice was followed in this case when Donald Lu had spoken to the Pakistan ambassador to express his displeasure over a matter.

"You spun this as a foreign conspiracy and proceeded to launch an internal conspiracy," he said.

The minister elaborated upon the "internal conspiracy", saying that when a constitutional method was employed to oust him through a no-confidence motion, Imran Khan proceeded to "beg the military for help and to not remain neutral".

"He calls others Siraj ud-Daulah and Mir Jaffar and what is his character? When another state gifts you something, you sell it off to run your kitchen."

The minister said that the former premier "loved calling others all sorts of names but in my view, he would best be called Tosha Khan", given the allegations that he either claimed or sold off gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries instead of depositing them in the state repository known as Toshakhana.

'Red warrants' to be issued against Farah Gogi: Ata Tarar

Tarar, meanwhile, accused PTI chairman Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and her friend Farah Gogi of looting national wealth.

He said that Chief Executive Officer of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) Rana Yousuf and Secretary Special Economic Zone Committee Maqsood Ahmed have been arrested by the anti-corruption establishment in a case relating to the illegal allotment of a precious industrial plot to Farah Gogi.

He said that a 10-acre industrial plot situated in the Faisalabad Special Economic Zone was allotted to Farah Gogi for only Rs83 million and its actual worth was Rs 600 million. The minister said that the plot was transferred to Gogi via a fake company.

A case has been registered in this regard earlier this month, he said, adding that Farah Gogi, her mother Bushra Khan, and Ahsan Jameel Gujjar were nominated in the case.

He accused the former first lady of “dealing” in the Prime Minister House. “Imran Khan introduced a new system of money laundering in small packets,” he alleged.

Tarar alleged that Imran Khan, along with his wife and Farah Gogi, were running a racket of money laundering via diamonds.

He further alleged that the diamonds in small packets were smuggled abroad and were sold in black markets and that Imran Khan was leading the group.

He vowed that "red warrants" for Farah Gogi will be issued.