Imran ‘sabotaged democracy, CPEC’ via foreign funding

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday accused PTI Chairman Imran Khan of trying to sabotage democracy, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and national economy in exchange for foreign funding received in the last decade.

"A conspiracy project, launched by Imran, was executed in the country through the foreign funds received by his party during different periods including 2008-13, 2013-18 and 2018-22," she claimed while addressing a news conference along with Coordinator to the PM on Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani.

She said Imran tried to weaken the parliamentary system and democracy in 2013 under the project which came into effect in 2008.

“He incited his workers to attack the Supreme Court building, launched a civil obedience campaign, and made attempts to halt the CPEC by bringing political instability in the country,” she alleged.

"These were the milestones, delivery points and commitments which Imran made to his funders in exchange for the foreign funding," she said, adding that the followers of the PTI chief would have to ask him where this funding was spent.

She said Imran asserted that he made a blunder by approving the appointment of Sikandar Sultan Raja as the chief election commissioner, but in reality, the major mistake was committed when Nawaz Sharif was ousted from his office for not taking salary from his son.

Marriyum said it was unfair to compare Imran with Nawaz who, as prime minister, eliminated terrorism, ensured six per cent economic growth, created massive employment opportunities for youth and above all, improved the country’s standing at the International level.

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She said the nation needed to look into the reasons behind the “Imran project” under which Kashmir was sold, CPEC projects stopped and the country registered negative economic growth.

Imran, during his government, rendered the youth jobless, created anarchy and political instability and imprisoned the media persons, she added.

The people had to understand that Imran was responsible for the current crises which were created to fulfil the commitments made with the foreign funders.

She said the so-called truthful and honest Imran was miserably exposed before the nation after the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict in the PTI’s prohibited funding case.

“The party of a foreign agent has been declared a ‘foreign-aided party’ under the Political Party Ordinance, 2002 and the Election Act, 2017,” she remarked.

The minister said Imran was trying to mislead the nation by consistently telling lies over a case that was investigated by the ECP for eight years.

She said the funds were also received in the personal accounts of other PTI leaders including Asad Qaiser, Imran Ismail, Shah Farman, Saifullah Niazi and others. In this case, Imran and finance board members were co-signatory of these accounts.

The minister also mentioned the names of some foreign funders including Mukesh Kanda, Charn Jeet Singh, Charles, Michael and others. “Ironically, his party continued to receive the funding, but Imran Khan did not know.”

She said Imran, being the prime minister, could not prove corruption of a single dime against the PML-N leaders during his four-year rule.

The minister said the PTI chief also made money by committing massive corruption in Malam Jabba project, wheat and sugar exports, BRT Peshawar and others.

She said Imran launched the regime change narrative to cover up his corruption through which Bani Gala was transformed in “Money Gala”.

Meanwhile, the minister appreciated the media for consistently sharing the flood situation with the government which helped carry out the rescue and relief activities in an effective way.

She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally monitoring the relief activities in flood-hit areas.
The prime minister had also visited Balochistan and other areas and ordered round-the-clock monitoring of rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations.

She said the PM had ordered the NDMA and other relevant departments to start relief and rehabilitation immediately as the Finance Division had been directed to transfer Rs5 billion to the authority.