PML-N rejects talk of political vendetta

Tarar demands apology from PTI leader

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has said that some people are trying to link Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest with freedom of expression to give it a political colour.

The ruling party said that a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the former federal minister by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary at the Kohsar police station.

Its leadership also slammed PTI Chairman Imran Khan for making controversial statements but noted that he never had to spend an hour in jail.

Addressing a press conference, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Fawad made statements against the Election Commission.

“Fawad Chaudhry openly threatened the children of Election Commission members,” she said, adding that his arrest is not a political act.

“We have been in government for the last nine months, and considering the language used against us by PTI people, including Fawad Chaudhry, if we had to make political arrests, these people would have been behind bars a long time ago,” she added.

Separately, addressing a press conference with Abid Sher Ali, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Interior and Legal Affairs Attaullah Tarar said that the incumbent government does not believe in political revenge and victimisation but those threatening the officials of constitutional bodies would have to face legal action.

He said that Islamabad police registered the FIR against Fawad following the application of ECP secretary. He also said that the PTI leader used objectionable language and even threatened the head of ECP, its members, officials and even their families in his interaction with the media in Lahore.

He further said that ECP was a constitutional body, and it was a sheer violation as per Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to threaten such bodies or their officials. He added that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja was appointed by the PTI after a consultation process and Fawad himself participated in it.

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The PML-N leader said there could not be dual standards for the provision of justice as PML-N Senator Nihal Hashmi faced imprisonment for six months and was disqualified from his Senate seat for using objectionable language in the past.

The SAPM said that the law should take its course if anyone had been found involved in threatening the institutions and no dual standard would be adopted in such cases.

During the press conference, two video clips were also screened in which Fawad was threatening ECP officials and their families with dire consequences over the appointment of the caretaker chief minister of Punjab.

After the appointment of PTI nominee Hassan Askari as caretaker chief minister at the time of the last general elections in 2018, he said, PML-N did not use any such language against the constitutional body or anyone else.

Tarar said that PML-N leadership, including Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, had to face imprisonment in fake cases while other leaders, including Nihal Hashmi, Daniyal Aziz and Talal Chaudhry, were disqualified as senators and from contesting elections over less severe cases.

The special assistant said there should be no dual standards and legal action should be taken without any discrimination. He said that the judiciary would have to review as to how one can be exempted after threatening the officials of constitutional bodies.

Tarar cited the case of Wazirabad in which police kept accused Ahsan’s habeas corpus for more than two months and a court did not intervene in it. He said that the arrest of the PTI leader should be dealt as per law.

The special assistant said that bail applications of PML-N leaders had been pending in the past for years but it seemed astonishing to see activism in this case. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry would have to tender an unconditional apology and the myth about “untouchable PTI leaders” would be eliminated through legal action, he added. 

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The SAPM said that former chief justice Saqib Nisar legalised the offshore companies of former prime minister Imran Khan and declared him `Sadiq and Ameen’ which was totally against the spirit of justice. He said that Imran had been found guilty in foreign funding and Toshakhana cases and he should be imprisoned in the cypher case propaganda and disqualified for concealing his alleged daughter’s name.

Tarar said that PTI had no political struggle and it came into power through maneuvering against the wishes of the public. He said that the FIR against Fawad invoked different sections including 124-A (sedition) of the PPC and he would be produced in court in Islamabad for action as per law.

Ali said that the former federal minister would have to face the music for hurling threats at state institutions and challenging the writ of the law.

He said the erstwhile practice of abusing state functionaries and desecrating state institutions would not work anymore as the government had decided to enforce the writ of law with full force.

Fawad would be dealt with as per law of the land as he had threatened the institutions, he added.

Vehemently brushing aside the impression of political victimisation of Fawad, the PML-N leader said that Fawad had committed a violation of the law brazenly and he must not be spared.

A person attacking state institutions would straight land in jail, irrespective of his position or status, he added.

(With additional input from APP)