Donald Lu statement is a lie: PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan Thursday demanded that the statement of former ambassador Asad Majeed be re-recorded.

“Some 20 hours have passed following Donald Lu’s statement, but Asad Majeed has not given his viewpoint thereon while the former is going back on all these things,” Gohar maintained during a media talk after a meeting with party’s founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

Gohar said that what Donald Lu said was a lie. “We demand a re-investigation, as the former ambassador has admitted to having a meeting with Donald Lu, confirmed the cipher and the demarche was sent on his recommendation.”

The PTI chairman contended that Donald Lu had rejected the contents of the cipher and also rejected the meeting, whereas Asad Majeed submitted the cipher material to the court and confirmed the meeting.

Gohar said that the doors of talks were always open, but added the release of the party founder was not subject to negotiations. “The cases of the founder are going on in the courts; we will not negotiate for his release, as we have confidence in the judiciary. If he comes out of jail, he will not come as a result of any deal,” he emphasized.

Regarding Imran’s sister’s statement, he maintained that Aleema Khan had asked for a case against Donald Lu, but it was her family’s decision.

He said the Al-Qadir Trust issue was a unique case of its nature and it showed how political victimisation could go to what extent, as Imran is its trustee, having no personal benefit, and the prosecution had also not talked about his any personal benefit. Gohar drew a parallel between Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital Trust and Namal University and Al-Qadir Trust University.

He regretted how they were made to walk for one and a half kilometers for the hearing, as they were not allowed to enter the jail premises on their vehicle. On the contrary, he pointed out Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, despite being absconders, were allowed by the court to return after seven years despite the Supreme Court findings and JIT report. They appeared before the court and next day were acquitted in all cases.

He continued they had admitted to living in Avenfield Apartments but knowing nothing by whom, how and when payment was made for the property’s purchase. “Avenfield remains an enigma even today. But they have been acquitted. We request the judiciary, will we have to hear after 45 years that due process was not followed and justice not done,” he remarked.

Gohar urged the judiciary that justice should also be done to them as fast as had happened to these people (Sharif family).

The PTI leader said during his meeting with Imran, political matters were also discussed and he approved the name of Sher Afzal Marwat for the slot of Public Accounts Committee chairman for which they would formally request the National Assembly Speaker on Friday. He said the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) was the largest opposition party.

He again distanced from the recent protest outside the IMF head office and said this was done by the Pakistani Americans and overseas Pakistanis on their own.

Gohar reiterated that allotment of more reserved seats than general seats won by the three rival parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was against the law and Constitution. He said the apex court would find out a solution and the PTI-backed SIC would get its rightful share.

“The House will be incomplete without our share of women reserved seats allotted to us,” he contended.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Information Secretary Raoof Hasan Thursday told a news conference that the veracity and reality of the existence of diplomatic cable was proved on Wednesday before the US Congress Foreign Affairs Committee. He said the testimony of US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu about the existence of cipher before the US panel established the veracity and reality of the diplomatic cable and also proved honesty and truthfulness of PTI founder chairman Imran Khan.

Along with former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister and PTI senior leader Khalid Khurshid and Imran Khan’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha, Raoof said that Donald Lu accepted the reality and existence of the cipher but only disagreed with its contents. He said the PTI founder chairman didn’t lie about anything pertaining to the cipher, adding he was being unjustly prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act that he made the cipher public. However, he pleaded that in reality, cipher was no more a secret document because when it was presented before the-then cabinet, it was declassified.

Moreover, he recalled that a copy of the diplomatic cipher was sent to the-then speaker of the National Assembly, the president and chief justice of Pakistan, adding that Imran Khan even demanded the formation of an independent judicial commission to probe the matter. Raoof said that Donald had lied before the US Congressional hearing that the-then Pakistan ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, had testified before his own government that there was no conspiracy. He pointed out that the ex-ambassador had admitted before two National Security Committee meetings, one chaired by the then prime minister Imran Khan and second one by Shehbaz Sharif and that was the reason it was decided to send a demarche to the US for its grave interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs.

He said that even the second NSC meeting endorsed the minutes of the first NSC meeting and termed the diplomatic cable as a grave interference in Pakistan’s affairs. Moreover, the cipher remained no more a secret or a classified document since its contents were published by the US journal ‘The Intercept’, wherein it was said that the US administration was upset over Imran Khan’s visit to Russia and warned Pakistan of severe consequences, signalling that things will be better if he was removed from power.

“I think if the no-confidence vote against the prime minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the prime minister otherwise it will be tough going ahead,” Raoof quoted Donald Lu as telling Majeed.

The PTI leader went on to say that the US Congress was holding an open public hearing on the cipher because there was a real democracy, thus, they discussed everything so openly and clearly.

Moreover, Raoof stated that Donald Lu also admitted openly that US was exerting pressure on the Pakistani government to impede work on Pak-Iran gas pipeline, which the government had denied since long.

About the February 8 elections, the PTI information secretary stated that Donald Lu faced harsh questions pertaining to mega polls robbery and midnight assault on public mandate, wherein the clear winners were converted into losers through result manipulation and tampering.

Speaking on the occasion, Khalid Khurshid made it clear that the then prime minister, Imran Khan, took a firm stand against the US’s interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs as he did not surrender before the US like Pervez Musharraf.

He demanded an open trial of the cipher case and that General Bajwa and Asad Majeed should be summoned and asked as to how a person could threaten a country of 250 million population of severe consequences if they did not remove their elected prime minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Naeem Panjutha said that Imran Khan was falsely implicated in the cipher case. Instead of taking actions against the real culprits who conspired against him, they were now sitting in parliament.