Punjab opposition demands Fawad's resignation 'for taking bribes'

Says he is no longer fit to hold his position as minister

LAHORE: A Punjab Assembly opposition lawmaker demanded the resignation of Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhary for allegedly collecting bribes in several important cases on the directions of his uncle and then chief justice of the Lahore High Court.

The demand was put forward by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Hina Pervez Butt through a resolution submitted at the Punjab Assembly secretariat.



MPA Hina Butt expressed her shock that Justice (Retired) Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhary, the then LHC Chief Justice, allegedly assigned Fawad with the task of collecting bribes to announce favorable decisions in certain cases.

She contended that this is not the minister of a “state of Medina” which the Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to make the nation. “Is it the state of Medina where a minister was assigned a key post despite having served as a tout to collect bribes?”

She said Fawad was neither eligible for the ministry nor was he ‘Sadiq and Ameen’. She claimed that Fawad’s corruption was disclosed in prominent PTI leader Hamid Khan’s book. It was further stated that the party has admitted Fawad’s role on the media.



She said it was now the moral duty of the federal minister to tender his resignation. Talking to The Express Tribune, Hina said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should take note of the matter and investigate to give the nation a clearer picture. She said the image of the judiciary was tarnished through such allegation and need to be properly investigated.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2019.