Bugti says cases against Nawaz baseless

Interior minister denies preferential treatment being accorded to PML-N

ISLAMABAD:

Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti has said that the cases against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Quaid Nawaz Sharif were baseless, contesting his disqualification in the Panama Papers case. Bugti, in an interview with a local Urdu newspaper, said no preferential treatment was being accorded to the PML-N as a level-playing field was being provided to all political parties.

Nawaz, who was in self-imposed exile for the last four years, returned to the country on Oct 23 ahead of the general elections scheduled for Feb 8, 2024. The Islamabad High Court gave Nawaz bail in two corruption cases and prosecutors did not object, trusting he would turn up for the trial.

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During the interview, the interim minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was the "darling of the court" and had been granted extraordinary privileges during his time in jail. Bugti emphasised that the facilities extended to Imran surpassed those provided to any former premier to date, leaving the average citizen unable to fathom their extent.

“The facilities provided to him are more than those provided to an ordinary prisoner or a prime minister behind bars as he is, after all, a ladla of the courts.” Regarding the cipher case, Bugti expressed willingness to abide by the court's order regarding Imran's appearance in court on Nov 28, acknowledging the importance of due legal process.

Addressing broader concerns, the interim interior minister asserted significant progress in resolving the issue of missing persons, stating that 78 per cent of such cases had been successfully solved. He also discredited the list of missing persons compiled by BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal, declaring it inaccurate.

Read further : Kakar affirms caretaker impartiality, vows fair elections

Previously, Bugti advocated for the missing persons case not to be made a "propaganda tool" and use it for election campaigning. He urged debate in parliament on the missing persons' issue, saying that it was interconnected with incidents of “self-disappearances”.

Refraining from commenting on Bilawal's statement, he assured that the Ministry of Interior was committed to providing the Election Commission of Pakistan with all necessary assistance for conducting the upcoming elections.