Commission to probe Imran-led regime's role in energy crisis

The PML-N-led government on Thursday maintained that PTI Chairman Imran Khan could face treason charges for “subverting the Constitution” to prevent his ouster from the power through a vote of no-confidence motion and announced to constitute a commission on the directives of Premier Shehbaz Sharif to probe the "mismanagement" by the former premier’s regime that "worsened the energy crisis”.

“Imran has been saying that he was asking the neutrals (a reference to country’s establishment) to intervene. This is a case of Article 6 for violating the Constitution,” Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said while addressing a news conference here.

She was flanked by senior PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal.

The information minister said people were asking the PTI chief why he did not dissolve the assemblies and initiate an inquiry by setting up a commission on the “so-called” foreign conspiracy if he had received the cipher on March 8.

“Imran Khan did not hold inquiry into the matter as he knew that it was a ‘blatant lie’ which he started propagating after foreseeing his imminent defeat in the no-confidence motion tabled by the then opposition in the National Assembly.”

Regarding the PTI chairman’s announcement to challenge the Lahore High Court decision about the Punjab chief minister’s election, Marriyum observed that the former premier had “ceded” high moral ground for filing an appeal before the apex court which had already decided against his constitutional transgression with 5-0.

“According to that decision of apex court, Imran Khan did violate the Constitution by influencing the National Assembly Speaker, Punjab governor and other representatives of the government, while the ruling of the then deputy speaker was declared unconstitutional,” she said.

Speaking on the occasion, the PML-N leaders announced that a commission would be formed on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that would “bring forth the flawed decisions by the PTI regime in the petroleum sector that led to the prevailing energy crisis”.

“Its (commission) purpose is also to expose the corruption during the tenure of the PTI government,” PML-N Senior Vice-President Abbasi. He added that the body would also help bring forth details of the increase in circular debt and the additional borrowing.

The PML-N stalwart alleged that the decisions taken by the Imran-led cabinet had caused billions of losses to the country.

According to him, the proceedings of the commission would be kept open for the people and media.

“The government has taken the reins of power two months ago,” Abbasi said. “The circumstances in which we took power were identified in November and December last year.”

He said people were perturbed because of load-shedding, stressing that a probe was necessary to determine the causes of the crisis.

Expressing his views, Planning Minister Iqbal asserted that the ineligibility of the PTI-led government was the reason behind the prevailing energy crisis.

Regarding the prevailing situation in the country, the planning minister vowed to stabilise the economy “within days”.

With input from APP