No protest anywhere after Imran’s arrest: Marriyum

KARACHI: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that cases cannot be avoided by dodging the law, evading the courts and attacking national institutions.

“Peaceful protest is a democratic right of any political party or worker, but no protesters came out on the arrest of chairman PTI as people cannot be fooled every time, courts are there”, she said during an interview with BBC on Sunday.

Marriyum Aurangzeb has held out the assurance that the government will not complete the process of legislating the Pemra (Amendment) Bill-2023 till objections to the proposed law aimed at regulating the country’s electronic media are not removed.

The Federal Information Minister stated this while talking to media persons during her visit to Karachi Press Club on Sunday. She informed media persons that a lengthy process lasting 12 months had been involved in the preparation of the Pemra (Amendment) Bill-2023. The federal minister said that she always took the criticism in a very constructive manner.

Aurangzeb told media persons that the proposed legislation after its passage from the National Assembly was being considered by the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. She said the new bill in question belonged to the media. She mentioned that the original legislation of Pemra Ordinance-2002 had been imposed during the dictatorial regime in the country. She mentioned that during the past regime of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the right to free speech in the country had been trampled upon while the journalists and the political opponents didn’t have freedom of expression.

To a question, she said that general elections in the country had to be held within three months after the present government will complete its constitutional term on August 9.

She told media persons that the Election Commission was responsible to conduct the general polls in the country as it had started preparations for the purpose.

Answering another question, the federal information minister said that it was the constitutional duty of the prime minister and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly to mutually appoint the caretaker chief executive of the country. She said the process of consultation was on in this regard as whatever would be the decision would be made public.

While answering a query regarding the census results, the federal information minister said the Council of Common Interests (CCI) met the other days with PM Shehbaz Sharif in the chair and attended by chief ministers of all the provinces and representatives of all the government’s coalition partners. She informed the journalists that the CCI session had unanimously approved the results of the recently concluded digital census held in the country.

She said that the newly established Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) had been established by the government with the purpose of providing a one-window mechanism to facilitate prospective foreign investors.

She said that such mechanisms were present all over the world for facilitating foreign direct investment. Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PM by forming the SIFC had gathered on one platform all the agencies relevant to the process of investment. She nullified the reports that land was being handed over to foreign investors under the system of SIFC. She said that a digital web portal would be established on investment affairs related to five sectors. She said the general public would have access to the proposed portal for getting any information about the incoming foreign investment.

She told journalists that many Western and regional countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and UAE, used similar mechanisms for attracting foreign investments.

To a question, she said that Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) would go to the public in the next general elections under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

She recalled that Nawaz Sharif had made the country’s defence invincible, laid the networks of roads and motorways in the country, generated 14,000 Megawatts of additional electricity, and also launched the CPEC project.

She said that the Pakistani nation had the ability to differentiate among the acts of development, destruction, and intrigue. She blamed the previous regime of PTI for the unprecedented hike in the prices of essential commodities in the country.

Meanwhile, Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that cases cannot be avoided by dodging the law, evading the courts and attacking national institutions. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest has nothing to do with politics, nor it was an act of political vendetta, she said during an exclusive interview with BBC World. “Peaceful protest is a democratic right of any political party or worker, but no protesters came out on the arrest of chairman PTI as people cannot be fooled every time, courts are there”.

The minister said that the legal procedures were completed in the Toshakhana case against PTI chairman and on the completion of his trial, the court announced a verdict on which he was arrested. She said that PTI chairman failed to present evidence in his defence, he was accused of abuse of power, but he could not answer questions when asked about state gifts.

She said apart from this, four more cases of theft of 190 million British pounds, cipher, May 9 tragedy and foreign funding case are also in the trial courts against Imran.

In response to a question, the minister said that no one can be given impunity for misuse of powers. She said that the arrest of Imran Khan has nothing to do with the elections, he was arrested on the order of the court. He said that when three-time elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested, the elections of 2018 were very close, he was arrested along with his daughter and sent to jail. Marriyum said that when in power Imran Khan jailed all political rivals during his tenure. He misused their powers, used NAB and FIA for the witch-hunt of his political opponents but the present government did not indulge in such tactics.

She said that the law took its course though Imran Khan kept running away from the law, he did not answer the questions of the court and was found guilty by the trial court.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that whenever the court summoned him, the situation worsened in Zaman Park, the judicial complex was attacked, then there was also the May 9 tragedy. She said that when the court saw that dishonesty was proved beyond any doubt, it issued its verdict.

The federal minister of information said that one has to be accountable for one’s actions in the law, it has nothing to do with politics, Imran Khan masterminded the May 9 mayhem, instigated party workers to attack sensitive installations, attack national institutions, hospitals, schools and ambulances. She said that there were also attacks on Capitol Hill in the United States and all those who were involved in them have been punished irrespective of their status. She said that a person who has been proven guilty in court has to be arrested.

In response to a question, the minister said that during the investigation process in the trial court, Imran Khan was given ample opportunities through 40 hearings but he appeared only three times and could not provide any proof in his defense.

On another question, the federal minister of information said that the arrest of Imran Khan cannot be compared that of Nawaz Sharif. When allegations against Nawaz Sharif were levelled, he as prime minister, he wrote a letter to Supreme Court for his accountability. He appeared in day-to-day hearings of NAB court for 150 times. No one burnt any ambulance, hospital, mosque or school during protest against Nawaz Sharif arrest, she maintained.

To a question, she said that the public cannot be hoodwinked every time, Imran Khan incited violence to avoid the law, provoked his workers who attacked the police, rangers and state institutions. He even used children and women as human shields to avoid arrest, she remarked.

She said there should be a clear distinction between national interests and attacks on sensitive installations. She said that Imran Khan has admitted that all this happened on his instructions, he was the mastermind of the entire incident of May 9, so it cannot be said that this crackdown was aimed at any political victimisation.

The minister said that Imran Khan had targeted his political rivals for political victimisation during his four years in office, when the first two rows of the parliament were in jail.

Replying to a question, the federal information minister rejected the element of political aspect in the arrest of Imran Khan and said that no political process prevented Imran Khan from defending himself in the trial court. Imran Khan should have presented evidence in forty appearances of the trial court.

She told the BBC that when he was asked about the state gifts, he said that the military secretary will know about the gifts because used to do the buy and sell them on my behalf. When he was asked about the theft of 190 million pounds, he shifted the blame on his cabinet, when asked about the May 9 insurrection, he said his party workers should be answerable because they did everything, and when asked about the economy he blamed his economic team. She said that Imran Khan was the prime minister of the country, he had the authority and personally bought state gifts and did not disclose them in his tax returns.

She questioned as to who stopped him from declaring these gifts in his tax returns and Election Commission forms. She said the matter was transparent, it would have been mentioned in the asset declaration form.

The federal minister said that Imran Khan first sold the gifts and then bought them, and he did not even have the receipts. She categorically said that the arrest of Imran Khan was not political, he could not answer any question in the trial court, and his theft and dishonesty was proved beyond any doubt, so he was arrested.

In response to a question about the workers’ protest over the arrest of Imran Khan, the federal information minister said that people cannot be fooled again and again. They know what political exploitation and victimisation was and what was arrest for a crime. She said that people have realised that no-one can deceive everyone every time.

She said that since Imran Khan has been arrested no protest was witnessed anywhere and now he was in jail. She said that if people want to protest, they have the freedom to protest peacefully but so far no one has taken to the streets. To a question, the federal minister said that the present government did not believe in arresting political protesters, it has a clear distinction. “We are not a fascist government like Imran Khan’s, we believe in democracy, we were victims of restrictions on freedom of expression”. She said Imran Khan was given the title of media predator by international organisations, but now Pakistan’s rating has been improved by 7 ranks.

He said that during the time of Imran Khan, the entire opposition was in jail, but during the protest they did not attack any hospital or school. Rather they held peaceful protests for miles, without attacking any building, PTV, Radio Pakistan, ambulance, or schools. She said that this is a new trend, given by the PTI as she saw for the first time that a political party used petrol bombs against police and Rangers.

To a query, she said the appointment of caretaker PM was a constitutional responsibility of the prime minister and the Opposition Leader, and the people would be informed as soon as the names for the purpose would be finalized.

The minister expressed the confidence that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) would be victorious in the next general elections under the leadership of former prime minister Mian Mohammed Nawaz Sharif. She said that Gwadar was part of the country and the economic progress relied on the ports.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was stopped by the previous government and it was restored by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif soon after coming into the power. She said that the coalition government made the extensive efforts to chart the country on the path of progress and economic stability.

The minister said former prime minister Mohammed Nawaz Sharif said goodbye to International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2016 but the previous government signed the agreement again and then violated and suspended it for political gains.

She said the coalition government after coming into power re-negotiated the deal and reached a 9-month standby agreement with the IMF to save the country from default. At the outset of press conference, the minister expressed her grief over the train accident took place near Nawabshah on Sunday. She prayed to the Almighty to rest the departed souls in the eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear irreparable loss.