Iqbal demands probe into Elahi’s leaked audio

Minister says matter puts question mark on judicial system

ISLAMABAD:

Raising alarms over alleged audio clips of PML-Q leader Parvez Elahi in which he purportedly seeks to ‘tilt scales of justice’, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the controversy was an attempt at tarnishing the judiciary’s dignity and demanded that the chief justice of Pakistan takes notice of the matter.

Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court on Friday, the federal minister deplored that a society devoid of rule of law "turns into a jungle" and stressed that an independent judiciary was the foremost condition for the establishment of rule of law in Pakistan.

He pointed out that Pervez Elahi’s audio clips have come to the fore, exposing attempts at “match-fixing”.

“Elahi is talking to the honourable judge of the Supreme Court in the audio; it is respectfully requested that the chief justice conducts a transparent and scientific investigation,” he said.

“If the audio is fake, then action should be taken against those responsible, [but] if the tapes are real, then there has been an attempt to tarnish the judiciary,” he added.

Iqbal said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was arrested when under his leadership, Pakistan installed 11,000 MW of electricity projects in three years and transformed the country that was considered to be a hotbed of terrorism into a hotbed of investment.

In 2017, investors from all over the world were turning to Pakistan, he asserted.
However, he highlighted, a case was filed against Nawaz in the apex court. “Pakistan will cry over such decisions in the future,” he said, adding that “dramas” harm the international reputation of the country.

The federal minister accused former prime minister Imran Khan of registering false cases against them.

“We had to wait for months to prove these cases false,” he added. “Today, PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) is getting relief in days.’

Iqbal also accused the former premier of illegally dissolving the local bodies of Punjab.

“The chief justice restored the local bodies of Punjab; Usman Buzdar continued to play football for seven months on the decision of the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court did not take notice of his contempt of court for seven months,” he remarked.

He wondered why the judiciary and the law were “helpless” in front of Imran. “Imran Khan is an expert in swearing; will the decisions in Pakistan be based on someone’s ability to swear?” he asked.

He accused the former premier of fixing cases and said that the audio tapes have raised a big question mark on the judicial system.

“The chief justice of Pakistan has to take notice of these issues,” he demanded.

Talking about the “worst economic crisis”, Iqbal said that when the incumbent premier formed a government, he suggested informing the apex court, General Headquarters (GHQ) and the federation and the chambers about the real situation.

“Whoever brought the country to this point is engaged in blame-shifting; this kind of drama damages the international reputation of the country,” he added.