Countering allegations: Imran, Qadri claims a pack of lies: Rashid

Says they have been misguiding their supporters

ISLAMABAD:

Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri have been levelling ‘baseless’ allegations, which cannot stand the court’s scrutiny.

“The two people [Imran and Dr Qadri] tell lies from their containers on a daily basis. They have been misguiding their supporters and making false claims for the last 33 days,” Rashid said on Tuesday.

Rejecting Imran’s claim that 17 people were killed during clashes with police as the PTI and PAT supporters moved towards the PM House on August 30, Rashid said it was nothing but a blatant lie.

“I want Imran to come in front of the camera tonight, and give the names of these 17 people,” he said, adding that names of only three people were mentioned in the FIR.

The minister said the government was handling the situation politically and has avoided use of administrative tactics  to expose Imran in spite of the fact that it had knowledge of the plan, which the two leaders had developed in London, to derail the democratic process.

“He has levelled allegations against everyone, but has no evidence to prove a single charge,” he said.

The minister said the PTI chief also claimed that the 2013 elections were massively rigged and ballot papers were printed in Urdu Bazar. “The printer against whom he levelled allegations has gone to court.”

He said Imran accused former chief justice, former army chief and a brigadier of Military Intelligence of being complicit in rigging and claimed a speech changed the poll results.

“But the PTI negotiating team was not ready to include these allegations in TORs of the proposed Judicial Commission when the government interlocutors insisted to do so,” he said.

The minister said while Imran dissociated himself from attack on the Parliament and PTV, he himself led gangsters to secure release of his people from police custody.

The minister said government had accepted Imran’s two initial demands – constitution of a judicial commission to probe rigging allegations and setting up of parliamentary committee on electoral reforms – even before his long march.

“Similarly, Qadri left Lahore with the demand that an FIR be registered against the prime minister. Now two FIRs have been registered against the PM but Dr Qadri and Imran are not ready to wind up their protests,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2014.