Nawaz has not gone to London to see Asif Zardari: Musadiq Malik

‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday

KARACHI: There is a tumult in Pakistani politics since the issue of Panama leaks emerged, said Shahzeb Khanzada, the host of Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” on Tuesday.

He said nobody could have anticipated two weeks ago about the storm that is the Panama leaks. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been contacting other opposition parties on the anti-government Raiwind march while the government is also attempting to contact those who are in favour of the sit-in movement.

The Spokesman for the Prime Minister, Musadik Malik, has denied reports of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari in London. Shahzeb Khanzada said in his comments that the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali, during hearing in a case, has said that the Supreme Court is asked to take suo moto notice on every issue. The judiciary and the administration have separate authorities.  

The Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has said in a tweet that history will ask our courts why did the PPP has to face suo moto everyday.

The Amir of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Siraj-ul-Haq, has announced public meeting in Punjab on April 24. Commenting on this Shahzeb Khanzada said that the Jamaat-e-Islami had planned and announced the protest meeting against corruption before the Panama leaks emerged. In the current situation, the PPP has become quite important. It has been holding meetings with both the parties. One has to wait to find out which party the PPP supports. If it supports the opposition’s stance, would that mean that it would also take part in the protest movement?

A PPP leader, Saeed Ghani, while talking to Shahzeb Khanzada on the programme, said that his party would not support sit-in movement outside someone’s house. He said that the matter against Nawaz Sharif has not yet been taken to the court. Saeed Ghani said that the right way to tackle the issue for Nawaz Sharif is to respond to all the allegations being leveled against him, and that if there are any allegations against the PPP then there should be an investigation conducted into those allegations.

In the second part of the Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, the host, while commenting on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s link with RAW, said that different sources have accused the MQM of having links with RAW. However, this time round Altaf Hussain has been accused of having entered into a written agreement.

This accusation has come from a man who had been then handling all these matters officially. Before this allegation, the BBC, MQM’s rebel leaders and Sarfaraz Merchant have also leveled some serious allegations. Security officials have even produced documentary evidence and presented those workers of the MQM who had been trained by the Indian secret service, RAW.

Now, there has emerged a claim which is stronger than the ones made earlier about the relationship between RAW and the Muttahida. Not only the nature of this latest claim is different but also that of the one who is making the claim. 

This claim has been made by a former British diplomat, Shahrayar Khan Niazi. Niazi has had quite close relationship with the British government. He had been officially in the know about the British government investigation against the Muttahida. Niazi has worked for the British government for 12 years. He is the first Pakistani who served in Pakistan for three-and-a-half years as the deputy head of mission of the British government. He watched what transpired behind the scene. Niazi says that Altaf Hussain himself had admitted before British officials that he has a written agreement with RAW.

The MQM coordination committee has rejected Shahrayar Khan Niazi’s allegations. According to the coordination committee, the MQM chief has never had a meeting with a foreign diplomat, and that they are taking legal action against this news. Rehman Malik also said that he had never been given any briefing on MQM’s relations with RAW and that he intends to take legal action against Shahrayar Khan Niazi.

Commenting on the whole situation, Shahrayar Khan Niazi said that they are welcome to initiate legal action against him. They just let me know where they are going to initiate the action against me and I will turn up on my own.

Shahrayar Khan Niazi said that what has emerged after his interview are all based on facts and evidence. He said he stands by all that he has said.