Siddiqui demands action over ‘Imran’s confession’ about May 9 attacks

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary leader of the PML-N and Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that state institutions must play their due role after PTI founder Imran Khan confessed of May 9 attacks.

“The truth is out from the mastermind of May 9 and such actions are never forgiven” he said during a discussion at a private TV.

Irfan Siddiqui warned that “if these accusations are pardoned, be prepared for such attacks in the future.” The senator raised question on PTI’s credentials and said that if a party does not meet the criteria laid down by Article 17, it cannot be described as a political party.

The parliamentary leader of the PMLN in the Senate said that the law does not pardon any criminal based on public support. “The law does not see how popular someone is or how many supporters they have; the law looks at the crime and adheres to the constitutional regulations,” he said.

He said that four conditions are given in Article 17 of the Constitution; before banning or not banning any party, it should be seen whether a party meets these conditions or not.

He said that if we are to forgive the criminals of May 9, then we should also forgive the terrorists who attacked GHQ because their parents are also Pakistani.

Irfan Siddiqui said that on May 9, PTI supporters directly attacked more than 200 military installations. “Whether or not they attack GHQ, corps commanders’ houses, air force planes, Qila Bala Hissar, Chakdara, and the ISI office in Faisalabad?” he questioned. He said, “They (PTI) desecrated the memorials of martyrs,” he said.

He said that PMLN chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif, faced 200 unjust court appearances but did not attack anyone, whereas the PTI founder did not attend a single hearing and orchestrated 200 attacks. “Even a great leader like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed, but his daughter Benazir Bhutto did not attack GHQ, he said.

He said that there are countless examples in Pakistan’s history where political leaders and parties have faced hardships, but no party has adopted the behavior that the PTI founder and his supporters did.

He raised question over the justice system and asked “Why the criminals of May 9 have not been punished yet”. “If this were happened in any other country, not a single person involved in such a crime would be forgiven; they would have been made an example by now, he said.

In response to a question, Irfan Siddiqui said that Azm-e-Istehkam was given the name of an operation. “By creating misunderstandings, this comprehensive narrative of national security was sacrificed to politics,” he said.

He said Azm-e-Istehkam is a narrative of national security. “Our soldiers are sacrificing lives for the future of the nation and the country, not for their own interests,” he said.