PTI demands judicial body to probe into minister’s claims

The PTI on Sunday demanded the formation of a judicial commission to probe into the recent statement of Federal Minister Khurram Dastagir wherein he had claimed that party chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan was ousted because of his plan to extend his rule by having political opponents disqualified by 2022.

The minister made the claim on a TV show, just a couple of months after removing Imran through a no-confidence motion.

While referring to a “big change” at the end of the year – a tacit reference to the appointment of a new army chief – and Imran’s plan to hire 100 judges to expedite cases against his political opponents, Dastagir had maintained that the PTI chief’s “fascist plans” pushed the then opposition to oust him and come into power.

Dastagir had further claimed that the opposition became united on the basis of “serious information”. “Imran’s ‘fascist plans’ including the mass disqualification of opponents, had made it clear to the rival politicians that he would rule for the next 15 years.”

The minister had maintained that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif – the incumbent prime minister – and other senior leadership of other parties would have been disqualified by the end of the year and left an open field for Imran in the next general elections.

Citing other reasons, including massive subsidy on fuel by the PTI government, Dastagir had said the then opposition could not wait any longer more as the country’s economy was slumping further and facing the threat of default. He had added that the decision was made in a larger context knowing that the political capital was at stake.

The minister’s recent statement has not only triggered a new debate about the united-opposition-turned coalition government’s narrative against the PTI’s performance but also prompted Imran’s former aide and PTI leader Shahbaz Gill to demand a judicial commission to probe into it as Dastagir had allegedly tried to drag the military into politics.

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In the recent past, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesperson, while announcing that the incumbent army chief would retire on November 29, has repeatedly claimed that the military had nothing to do with politics and it should not be dragged into political matters.

However, the neutrality of the powers that be has frequently been discussed since the united opposition joined hands to send the PTI-led government packing.

Imran had termed neutrality “a trait of animals”, saying the powerful stakeholders could not stay neutral in the face of a “foreign conspiracy”.

Addressing a news conference, Gill said it had become evident after Dastagir’s “confession” that the then opposition “did not conspire to oust the PTI government for the betterment of the county but to secure a second NRO [amnesty from corruption charges]”.

Gill went on to say that the “crooked and corrupt gangs” hatched a conspiracy against Imran to protect their “loot”.

The former PM’s aide demanded that Dastagir should be asked about why he had concerns about the change of the army chief, adding that the “thieves” knew that Imran had come close to their accountability and therefore they conspired against him. “Khurram Dastagir tried to drag the army into politics and action should be taken against him.”

Political analyst Amir Rana, while commenting on Dastagir’s statement, said it could be an excuse to take over the power in critical times.

“Though Imran Khan has dictatorial tendencies, but he is not capable to conceive and craft a strategy for such an ambitious plan alone.”

However, Rana added that Dastagir’s statement could be conceded a serious issue if it was based on authentic information.