Fawad says will share ‘torture’ videos with UN

Claims such brutality was not witnessed even during dictators’ regimes as seen at the long march

ISLAMABAD:

PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that his party was gathering videos of "torture" against party workers during the "Azadi March" held on May 25 in order to share them with the United Nations and other human rights organisations.

“Male police officers entered the residences of party leaders and misbehaved with women,” former information minister said while addressing a news conference. Fawad was flanked by PTI leader Hammad Azhar.

"We are gathering footage of the incidents and will raise it on international forums. Such brutality was not witnessed even during the regimes of dictators," the PTI leader said.

But despite making continuous claims of holding a peaceful march towards the federal capital, PTI Chairman Imran Khan admitted a day earlier that the protesters that accompanied him during the "Azadi March" were carrying weapons with them.

Speaking during an interview with a private TV channel about the PTI's "Azadi March" and the clashes between the party members and the police, the former premier said that he felt that the country would have gone towards anarchy had the march continued — as three people had already been killed.

"There was already hatred among the people due to raids carried out by the Punjab police on PTI lawmakers' houses a day prior to the march," Imran said, adding that he was 100% sure that the situation would have lead to chaos.

Taking a jibe at the incumbent government, Fawad said he thought that a "New Delhi-Tel Aviv-Washington nexus" was working in Pakistan — as he referred to the recent meeting of Israeli President Isaac Herzog with a delegation, which included Pakistani-Americans.

"The delegation had gone with the government's approval. Through the nexus of Tel Aviv and Washington, India was getting closer to the government," the PTI leader said.

On the National Assembly speaker’s powers, Fawad said that the speaker did not have the authority to verify resignations of lawmakers, adding that they considered the current assembly “occupied”.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was not issuing a notification to de-notify the PTI MNAs who he said resigned on the floor of the lower house of parliament.

“Don’t push us against the wall. We are the largest political party of this country,” he added.

Also read Speaker summons 131 PTI MNAs to verify resignations

His statement comes a day after Raja Pervaiz Ashraf summoned 131 lawmakers of the former ruling party, who resigned from their assembly seats, to verify if their resignations were “genuine and voluntary”.

The speaker’s direction came following former deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri’s ruling through which he had accepted the resignations of the PTI lawmakers after they resigned en masse from the assembly in protest over alleged “foreign interference” which ousted former prime minister Imran Khan.

“We don’t have any intention to return to the assembly.

“President of lota [turncoat] association has been appointed as leader of opposition and all appointments are being made with his consultation. We don’t accept this,” Fawad said, referring to the PTI dissident lawmaker Raja Riaz.

Speaking about his party’s “foreign conspiracy” allegations, the former minister asked the Supreme Court as to why it was reluctant to form an inquiry commission to probe the diplomatic cypher allegedly containing evidence of US-backed regime change plot.

“We want to know why the Supreme Court is not holding an inquiry into this [cypher] on the request of president which is the highest constitutional office of the country,” he added.

Earlier this month, a delegation, which included Pakistanis and Pakistani Americans, travelled to Israel, to promote interfaith harmony. The visit drew sharp criticism in Pakistan, where opposition leaders accused the government of arranging the trip in order to pave the way to recognise Israel.

The Foreign Office quickly rubbished such reports, explaining that the trip was arranged by a foreign NGO and not Pakistan. It added that the country’s position on the Jewish state remains clear and unambiguous.

Pakistani-American Anila Ali, who led the delegation, told a private TV channel that she was very thankful to the Imran Khan government for allowing Fishel BenKhald to travel to Jerusalem so that he could pray at his holy site.

Following the sharp criticism, the Pakistan Television Corporation, according to Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, sacked journalist Ahmed Quraishi for going to Israel along with the delegation.