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PM SHEHBAZ WARNS ‘MISCREANTS’ TO ABIDE BY LAW OR BE DEALT WITH IRON FIST Thursday, 11 May, 2023 I 20 Shawwal, 1444
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ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan legally and on the basis of corruption and corrupt practice in the AlQadir Trust case, involving a whopping amount of Rs 60 billion (£ 190 million). The prime minister, in a televised address to the nation, referred to the violent spree unleashed by the PTI leadership and their supporters across the country inflicting severe damages, sternly warning the miscreants that they would be dealt with an iron hand. “These terrorist and anti-state elements are being warned to desist from taking laws into their hands, otherwise, they will be dealt in with iron hands. Safeguarding the motherland and its ideology is more precious than their lives. We will not let their nefarious designs succeed,” he maintained. The prime minister said the rule of law meant facing all the cases legally. Inflicting damages to public and private properties amounted to terrorist acts. “All are equal before the laws; these are the Islamic teachings and the beauty of democracy,” he said while advising the PTI chairman to face the NAB cases legally. The prime minister said that Islamabad High Court had also termed Imran Niazi’s arrest as legal and observed that the NAB acted in accordance with law. The prime minister further said that the past political history of the country was very unpleasant based upon vendetta which never yielded good results. The political parties learned from those experiences and reached to ‘Charter of Democracy’ by vowing to work under the constitution.
Under the same passion, on April 11 last year, they took over the responsibilities of the government and did not adopt the vengeance-based approach as mani-
fested by PTI’s government led by Imran Niazi against their political opponents. “Cases were decided on the basis of faces,” he said, adding the PTI’s former
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ministers even days ahead used to announce that a specific political leader would be arrested on a particular day, while Imran Niazi also kept on announcing that a wicket from the opposition side would fall soon. The prime minister elaborated that almost all the leaders, now sitting in the first two rows of the National Assembly, were sent to jails on false charges and there was no one to take notice during the previous regime of PTI. Rana Sanaullah was arrested on concocted charges of carrying 15 kgs heroin which was a black day in the history of Pakistan, he added. The prime minister said their sisters, daughters, sons and even relatives were not spared ‘in the pursuance of blind vengeance’ which also badly hampered the national development. Due to countrywide demands, concerns and the serious apprehensions of the bureaucracy and the business community, they brought amendments to the Nab laws, he added.
Govt cracks down on protesters demanding Imran’s release
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ISLAMABAD: The police have arrested hundreds of supporters of ousted prime minister Imran Khan on charges of violence after his arrest on corruption charges, authorities said on Wednesday, deepening a political crisis in the country. Tuesday’s arrest of Pakistan’s most popular politician according to opinion polls came at a precarious time for the country that is facing a shortage of foreign exchange and a months-long delay of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. Mobile data services were shut for a second day while Twitter, YouTube and Facebook were disrupted, as security forces tried to restore order after violence killed one person late on Tuesday. The government claimed supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party had attacked important state buildings and damaged private and public vehicles. Police said 945 of his supporters had been arrested in Punjab after 25 police vehicles and more than 14 government buildings were set on fire. “This can’t be tolerated, the law will take its course,” Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told a news conference. “These violent attacks were not the outcome of any public outpouring, they were planned by the PTI rank and file.” Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after Khan’s supporters clashed with police. Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by the military. Police said a court hearing would take place at a guest house where he was being held in the Islamabad police lines area. REUTERS CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
Four die, dozens injured as protests turn violent ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/PESHAWAR
May 9 a ‘dark day’ in national history: ISPR RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
As violent protests erupted in the aftermath of arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan continued for the second consecutive day on Wednesday and at least four persons dead and dozens injured in different incidents of arson and vandalism. As per details, protests in Peshawar turned violent and at least four persons dead in different incidents. However, it could not be confirmed whether the deceased persons were PTI workers or common citizens. “Four bullet-riddled bodies were received by the emergency room doctors,” informed a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital (LHR), saying as many as 27 others were under treatment for traumatic injuries related to agitation. RADIO PAKISTAN BUILDING SET ON FIRE: Hundreds of violent protesters Wednesday attacked the Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar. Director General of Radio Pakistan, Tahir Hussian, confirmed that the building of the state media in Peshawar was attacked by violent protesters. He said that the protesters wreaked havoc in the newsroom and various other sections of the radio station. “The miscreants entered the newsroom and radio audio room and set fire to the furniture inside,” he said, adding that mob also attacked the staff at the office. Vehicles parked in the building of Radio Pakistan were also set on fire, while the miscreants damaged and looted government property, including cameras, microphones and other office equipment. The violent protesters had attacked the Radio Pakistan building on Tuesday also. Following the violent protests, at least 30 people were arrested in Peshawar, police confirmed, adding that cases had been registered against the alleged miscreants. According to the police, the cases are registered on charges of damaging public and private property, vehicles, metro buses and government ambulances. Provisions of arson, stone pelting, vandalism and attacks on the police have also been registered. Identification of rioters and arsonists from CCTV footage and other sources is underway, the police said.
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STAFF REPORT
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday termed May 9 a dark day in national history in the wake of violent incidents that took place against the Pakistan Army after the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman who was taken into legal custody on Tuesday (from the Islamabad High Court by Rangers). According to an ISPR news release, immediately after the PTI chief’s arrest, there were organized attacks on army installations and anti-army slogans were raised. In the strongly-worded statement, the military’s media wing emphasised that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. The arrest of Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court was justified by the ISPR, citing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) statement and the law. It said that evil elements (PTI workers mobs) vigorously stirred up public sentiments to fulfill their limited and selfish goals, and on the other, they did not get tired of highlighting the importance of the army for the country while throwing dust in the eyes of the people which was an example of their dual standards. The ISPR statement criticised the protesters, describing their actions as an attempt to manipulate the nation’s sentiments for their own limited and selfish objectives. The military media wing further accused them of deceiving the people by simultaneously highlighting
the importance of the army. “This is an example of hypocrisy,” the ISPR stated, denouncing the contradicting stance taken by those involved in the protests. It emphasised the significance of maintaining law and order, highlighting the need to respect the institutions of the country. “One group wearing a political cloak, driven by its lust for power, has accomplished what the eternal enemies of the country could not do in 75 years,” the ISPR said. The ISPR said the army showed extreme patience, tolerance and restraint and without caring about its own reputation acted with extreme patience and tolerance in the wider interest of the country. “Army should have given its immediate response which could have been used for its (PTI) nefarious political purposes – Army’s mature response thwarted this con-
spiracy – We are well aware that behind this are the orders, and directives of some evil leadership of the party. There was and is complete pre-planning,” it said. The facilitators, planners and political activists involved in those operations had been identified and strict action would be taken against them as per the law and all these evil elements would now be responsible for the consequences, the military’s media wing said. The ISPR warned that any further attack on the army, including all law enforcement agencies, military and state installations and properties would be severely retaliated against by the very group that wanted to push Pakistan into a civil war and had repeatedly attacked them. “It has also been expressed,” it said. “No one can be allowed to incite people and take the law into their hands.”
Courts remand PTI chief in Al-Qadir Trust case, indict in Toshakhana case ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
An accountability court in Islamabad sent former prime minister Imran Khan on eight-day physical remand in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation even as he told the judge he feared a Maqsood chaprasi-style death. Whereas a District and Session Court indicted Imran Khan in a separate reference involving the sale of state gifts known as Toshakhana case. Malik Maqsood Ahmad, known as Maqsood chaprasi, was a key figure in the billion-rupee money laundering case against Shehbaz Sharif and his family, who died under mysterious circumstances weeks after Sharif’s assumption of office last year. Critics have alleged that Sharif and his sons laundered billions of rupees through Ahmad’s bank account. Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party have repeatedly claimed Ahmad, a clerk in Sharif’s family business, was poisoned to save the prime minister. A day after the top anti-graft watchdog apprehended Imran Khan with legal support of paramilitary Rangers officials from Islamabad High Court’s biometric branch, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials produced Imran Khan before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir. The officials filed an application for 14-days physical custody of Imran Khan. However, the court granted 8days physical remand of Imran Khan for investigation in the matter. In the reference, Imran Khan and his wife are accused of receiving a total of 458 kanals of land as a reward of deal on government level during Khan’s regime through the Al-Qadir charitable trust, which runs a university adjacent to GT Road at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa in district Jhelum, devoted to spirituality and Islamic teachings. During the hearing, as Khan appeared in the court at the headquarters of Islamabad police to answer “graft charges”, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sought two-week maximum detention of the former prime minister. However, his lawyer, Khawaja Haris Ahmad, opposed the request and argued that the case did not fall under the jurisdiction of the agency. He also pointed out that NAB, which is headed by a former general considered close to the government, had not shared the inquiry report with the former prime minister. Ahmad further emphasised the need for a fair trial and called for an open court hearing. He explained that a building had been constructed on the land belonging to Al-Qadir Trust, where people receive free education. He also said that a legal person, who is not a public office holder, should be in charge of the trust, and Khan is no longer a public office holder. The prosecutor for NAB countered his arguments, saying that the arrest warrant was shown to Khan at the time of his arrest. He assured Ahmad that the necessary documentation would be provided. The prosecutor also claimed that this was a corruption case that the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom had investigated. He alleged the money received was meant to be transferred to the government but was instead transferred to Bahria Town (Pvt.) Ltd. In response, Khan contradicted NAB’s version and told the court that he was shown the arrest warrant when he was taken to the bureau’s office, not at the time of his arrest. He also expressed concern about his well-being, saying he had not gone to the washroom in 24 hours and requested his physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, to be called in. He also referred to the case of Maqsood chaprasi, alleging that he was injected and died slowly. Last night, the government designated the New Police Guest House, Police Lines in Islamabad as a “special court” due to security concerns, to “facilitate” Khan’s appearance in cases against him. Originally, the hearings were to take place at the F-8 court complex and the Judicial Complex in G-11. However, citing unspecified security concerns, the government granted a “one-time status” of a special court to the Police Lines for the proceedings.
Military sanctioned to restore order in Punjab, KP & federal capital
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LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
After the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan deepened political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations across the country, the interim governments in Punjab, Federal Capital and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have called in the military to “restore law and order.” According to an order released by the ministry, the details of the deployment will be decided by the province, and the troops will discharge their duties as per the Constitution. “The date of de-requisitioning of said deployment will be decided subsequently after mutual consultation among stakeholders,” the order sanctioning the deployment in Punjab said. The communiqué said the “army would be working alongside district administration
to restore law, order and peace.” “Pursuant to the request made by the Home Department […] of Punjab […] dated May 9, 2023, the federal government […] is pleased to authorise the deployment of Pakistan Army troops [and] assets for maintaining law and order situations across Punjab in aid of civil power,” it read. Following the deployment in Punjab, the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also called for troops to quell intensifying protests. In a notification, the interim administration said that “in view of prevailing law and order circumstances”, it was calling on the armed forces “in aid of civil power” as “per the Constitution.” The development came as supporters of Khan marched to Islamabad where the former prime minister is in custody, raising fears of more clashes with security forces. Interestingly, barely a month earlier, the
military had informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that it will be unavailable for election-related duties due to the prevalent security situation within the country and on the borders. “If the army is available to act in aid of civil power to maintain law and order in Punjab; why isn’t it available to maintain law and order to conduct elections in Punjab,” questioned Abdul Moiz Jafferii, a lawyer. “They [defence secretary and additional secretary] said the army attaches importance to its basic duties, in which the security of the borders and the country is its first priority. They said that the army is not available for election duty at this time due to the present situation in the country,” the commission informed the Supreme Court. The officials said the current economic situation of the country was also affecting the military.