Punjab to probe Imran’s ‘murder plot' claim

LAHORE:

The caretaker Punjab government has formed a judicial commission to investigate the allegation of conspiracy to assassinate PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi maintained that the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the provincial polls was its own.

He added that the commission must have made the decision after much deliberation following consultations with the provincial administration and other departments.

A day earlier, the ECP delayed the election in Punjab until October 8 on the grounds that it could not conduct transparent and peaceful polls on the scheduled date of April 30.

The caretaker chief minister told the media that the provincial government had taken notice of Imran’s statement of a plan to kill him and formed a judicial commission to probe into the matter.

On Wednesday, the PTI chief had once again sounded alarms that he was in the crosshairs as another plan was hatched to take aim at his life “either today or tomorrow” outside Zaman Park – his Lahore residence that remained a hotbed of the ongoing political drama.

The former prime minister claimed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government was planning to assassinate him at his residence similar to what happened to former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s elder son Murtaza Bhutto through a police operation.

Addressing his supporters through a video link from his Zaman Park residence, Imran named the Punjab and Islamabad police chiefs as well as the “handlers” for conceiving a plan to set the stage for a fake police encounter against him.

Also read: 'Murtaza Bhutto-style murder' planned for me: Imran

Naqvi told the media that if there was any truth in Imran’s claim, the culprits would be taken to task.

The caretaker chief minister noted that Imran was criticising the police but still seeking more security.

He maintained that the PTI chief using abusive language against the police and threatening them was against the norms of decency.

“I don’t have to participate in the elections or indulge in politics. I only have to serve the people for their betterment,” he added.

Naqvi said only the cost of setting up a Ramazan Bazaar this year was coming to Rs5 billion.

He further noted that earlier, even those who owned land cruisers bought flour at subsidised rates, but only the deserving people would receive it free of charge this time.

He added that the deserving people could have themselves registered for free flour through the Benazir Income Support Programme.

He informed reporters that those without a CNIC were being listed in registers and the process of providing them with free flour had already been kicked off.

The caretaker chief minister maintained that in the last few days, five million bags of free flour had been distributed among deserving people across Punjab.