Lahore, Islamabad conferences foreign funded: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Tuesday claimed that a series of conferences held in Lahore and Islamabad were foreign funded.

He was briefing the media about the federal cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, and replying to reporters questions here. He said the issue of foreign funding came under discussion in the cabinet and Federal Minister Shireen Mazari asked the Foreign Office that donors should be approached under Section 41 of the Vienna Convention.

Fawad Ch alleged that the sole purpose of releasing audios and videos by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) was to put pressure on the judiciary, and he hoped that the judiciary would reject the pressure. Fawad said it would be an injustice not to praise the forensic department for proving that the audio was fake. “This is not for the first time that such audio has been released by the PMLN, and its sole purpose is to put pressure on the judiciary.

“When they launched ‘Mujhay kiyun nikala drive’; they thought this way, generals could be put under pressure. And when the cases are heard, then such a campaign is run that may be the judges will come under pressure. I hope the judiciary will reject this pressure,” he noted. He asked the PMLN to shun hatching conspiracies to pressuring institutions through such practices.

The minister said it is a welcome thing for the Supreme Court Bar Association to disassociate itself from the speeches against the judges and the army during the conference held in Lahore.

He said that this issue should not be stopped here and those who are involved in this work would be taken to task under the law. Maryam Nawaz's attitude has always been negative, making people's tapes, making fake leaks: Teams have been formed by her group to create fake videos with the help of technology and think that judges and arbitrators will come under their pressure, he added.

Fawad said she was probably making similar videos to control her party leaders also, adding, “we condemn this and hope that this issue will reach its logical conclusion”.