Allegations traded over ‘toxic’ letters

PTI claims govt sent them to judges; PML-N leader says affair befits ex-ruling party

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI on Friday alleged that the delivery of threatening letters laced with a toxic powdery substance to judges was a government’s conspiracy to harass them while the PML-N claimed that there might be a group under the influence the former ruling party that was behind it.

The PTI has demanded an immediate and thorough investigation into the letters sent to judges so that the elements attacking them were brought to justice at the earliest.

A PTI spokesperson made it clear that the party stood firmly with the judiciary and would not tolerate any attempt to attack the institution or coerce the judges.

The letters were sent after the top court initiated suo motu proceedings in response to allegations made by six Islamabad High Court judges against intelligence agencies.

However, PML-N senior leader and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said the PTI was the beneficiary in the whole threatening letters affair.

“There may be a group under the influence or sympathisers of the PTI involved in sending threatening letters to judges,” he maintained while speaking in the Express News show ‘Center Stage’.

On the host Rehman Azhar’s query, Sanaullah replied that creating disorder in the judiciary’s affairs would only be in favour of the PTI.

The former interior minister pointed out that there was no case against his party in the courts and it even received relief from the IHC.

“Why will we send threatening letters to the judges?”

Sanaullah said the issue of the threatening letters to judges was basically a problem of the independence of the judiciary.

He advised the judiciary to hold itself accountable.

“If the judiciary is angry with the [security] establishment, surely call them too.”

The PML-N leader believed that the judges should have asked the executive to investigate the matter when it had occurred.

In response to a question, he said the government or the security establishment could not be taken down without the help of insiders.

“Political instability will harm the country. The government should try to bring about political stability and it will.”

Separately, the PTI has formed its apex committee for making important decisions of the party.

The body has been constituted on the instructions of PTI founding chairman and former premier Imran Khan.

The 10-member committee includes PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Hammad Azhar, Khalid Khurshid, Hafiz Farhat, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and ex-speaker of the lower house of parliament Asad Qaiser.

Sources said the PTI was considering other names for the vacant slots of the body.

They added that the formation of the apex committee would be announced through a notification.