Investigate corruption: No need for judicial commission over BoK: Imran

Takes yet another jab at Nawaz, says even military dictator’s rule better than his

PESHAWAR:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan stressed there was no need for a judicial commission to investigate the ad placed by the Bank of Khyber chief against Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said. He was addressing a news conference at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s official residence in the city on Tuesday.

BoK MD Shamsul Mulk accused Said of making political appointments and holding political gatherings for his own benefit on the banks penny. “This is more a matter of political influence rather than corruption so there is no need for a commission.”

Imran pointed out the chief minister had formed a committee which would present its report on the subject. He said the BoK management’s ad against the minister was an example of the “independence” granted to provincial bodies.

Imran was also happy over the top performance rating given to the K-P government by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) in a public report.

More Sharif bashing

In reply to COAS General Raheel Sharif’s recent and candid reference to the Panama leaks, Imran said the whole of Pakistan wants accountability. Imran asked four questions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about his offshore companies.



“At least you should tell the nation the truth. When did you purchase the [Mayfair] apartments worth billions of rupees? How did you transfer the money [to purchase apartments abroad]? Did you pay the tax on that money and did you did declare it? Did you have that much income to purchase such expensive apartments?” Imran asked.

He added the judicial commission, formed to investigate the Panama leaks, should continue, but Nawaz must tell the nation the truth. He said like UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who presented his taxes before the public, Nawaz should also tell the public the truth.

Imran was angry at Nawaz for endorsing Federal Minister of Water and Power Khawaja Asif’s statement on the improper use of funds at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.

“Didn’t you feel ashamed before hurling such accusations at a hospital which is of international standards and where more than 70% patients are treated free?” Imran asked. He said Nawaz levelled the allegations on SKMCH at a time when his children were implicated in the Panama leaks.

“You levelled allegations to hide your corruption. If you were concerned about conditions of hospitals in the country and improper use of public money, why did you not take action against it over the last eight years in Punjab?” He added audits of SKMCH were open and would disprove the allegations.

He said the accusations were “blackmailing” tactics and he slammed the fact that the PML-N protested outside Jemima Goldsmith’s residence in London. “Your people protested outside my children’s grandmother’s house to hide your corruption. That was the first protest of its kind in history,” he said.

Pro-Musharraf, anti-Nawaz

Imran said the PTI-led sit-ins in the federal capital were peaceful and the objective was to fight for the assets of the country. He said the tenure of military dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was better than PML-N’s. He recalled the Model Town incident in Lahore when protesters were targeted with bullets.

He also said there was less load-shedding and better economic growth during the former general’s rule.

Talking about his visit to K-P, Imran said he discussed the Ehtesab Commission act’s latest draft and the proposed the police act. The PTI chief claimed these were created with the consent of every political party, adding the EC would be more independent and the act will be an exemplary one.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th,  2016.