Pakistan

PM Imran blames ‘Pakistani mafia’ for pressurising state institutions, judiciary

Imran Khan says like the Sicilian mafia, the Pakistani mafia also uses tactics of bribe, threats and blackmail

Our Correspondent July 13, 2019

Prime Minister Imran Khan. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the 'Pakistani mafia' uses various tactics to build pressure on state institutions in order to protect illegal money.

In a tweet, the premier stated that the 'mafia' was relying on the “tactics of bribe, threat, blackmail and begging to pressurise [the] state institutions and judiciary.”

In a similar vein to the "Sicilian mafia", the Pakistani mafia uses tactics of bribe, threat, blackmail and begging to pressurise state institutions and judiciary in order to protect their billions of money laundering stashed abroad.https://t.co/DcXWNZntq3

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 13, 2019

The premier's statement on the microblogging website comes mere days after the PML-N released a controversial video involving an accountability court judge. The judge was responsible for the Al-Azizia verdict which sent ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif to jail.

As the Videogate controversy gained momentum, the law ministry on July 12 barred Arshad Malik from serving as an accountability court judge and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) requested his removal.

Judge Arshad Malik 'offered Rs500m' by Hussain to resign after Nawaz verdict

The law minister later clarified that the sentence handed down by the judge in the Al-Azizia reference would not be overturned unless the IHC decided that the verdict was delivered under duress.

Denying the allegations by the PML-N earlier in the day, Malik in an affidavit submitted to the IHC had claimed he was offered Rs500 million by the son of Nawaz to resign on the pretext that he could “no longer deal with the guilt of having convicted the former premier under duress and without evidence”.

On Malik’s claims that he was threatened and offered bribes, the law minister said there would be legal action against anyone who tried to intimidate or blackmail judges.