‘Below me to respond to compulsive liar like Imran,’ says ex-brigadier

A former master graft-buster, who has been accused by the PTI chairman of involvement in political engineering in the 2013 elections, has said that he considers it below him to respond to the allegations of a “compulsive liar like Imran Khan”.

Imran Khan – who was ousted as prime minister through a vote of no-confidence earlier this year – has repeatedly accused Brigadier (retd) Muzaffar Ali Ranjha, former director general of the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab, of manipulating the 2013 elections in favour of the Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N.

Ranjha was removed from his office by the Punjab interim government just before the 2018 elections because he was considered a blue-eyed officer of Shehbaz Sharif.

“These are baseless allegations from a liar. I consider it below me to respond to such allegations,” Ranjha said in TV interview on Friday. “But since he has publicly made these allegations, I’m compelled to respond.”

Ranjha offered Imran to agree to formation of a commission which should investigate the vote-manipulation charges. “Before this, we both should sign an affidavit that whosoever is found guilty would be liable to capital punishment,” he added.

“I had first made this offer in May [2018]. At that time when the media asked him about it, then he said, ‘it was my political statement’,” he added. “He remained prime minister for four years, but did not raise this issue during his rule. Now, he is again raking up this issue. The objective is to make our mother-like institution controversial,” the retired brigadier said while referring to the military.

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Asked why Imran is resurrecting this issue, Ranjha said: “I believe he has lost his mind after losing power. This man has never been in favour of the armed forces. He only flirted with the military. Now, since the military has detached itself from politics, he is randomly hurling allegations.” He advised the nation to “ignore the wild allegations of a pathological liar like Imran”.

He recalled that Imran had given a word to a “very senior official in the state institutions” in 2018 that he would not repeat his allegations as it was a “political statement” and that he did not have any supporting evidence.

“If he [Imran] opens his mouth again, then I’ll go to a public forum and spill the beans. He should realise that I know everything about him because I have also served as intelligence officer,” said Ranjha.

“I’ll take him to court. I’ll also take him to other forums because this man has made it a habit to randomly hurl allegations and get away with it,” he said, recalling how Imran had levelled allegations against Najam Sethi and Shehbaz Sharif.

“If things are in his favour, then everything is ok. But if things don’t play out in his favour, then the whole world is wrong.”

Ranjha claimed that he had had an “unblemished career” and could face anything. “He [Imran Khan] is a morally, financially, intellectually and socially corrupt person. I’m a respectable person. It’s below my dignity to respond to such a pathological liar,” he added.

Ranjha further said that Imran considered himself a big politician. “I challenge him to contest elections against me. I will defeat him,” he said while throwing down the gauntlet.