Defamation case: Ready to face Iftikhar Chaudhry in courts, says Imran

Claims Nawaz Sharif had ‘bought’ courts and ECP

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday renewed his allegations that former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was involved in vote rigging while expressing readiness to face him in court.

Imran Khan narrated the proceedings when he approached the Supreme Court last year with high hopes of justice, saying when requested for justice, Chaudhry responded “there are around 20,000 cases pending in the court.”



“When I looked in his eyes, I found him a fraudulent person,” Imran said while addressing the participants of sit-in at D-Chowk of the Constitution Avenue. He added that the former apex court judge, who is a cousin of Rana Sanaullah of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) – had joined hands with the rulers.

Referring to a defamation notice served to him by Justice (retd) Chaudhry and Justice (retd) Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Imran said: “Don’t think I will be scared. I am waiting for the opportunity to confront you in the court.”

Earlier, the PTI chairman opened his speech with a welcome note for the people of Mianwali, who had come all the way to Islamabad.

Then, Imran reiterated the reason of the sit-in, running into its 74th day: “I want to remind you why we have come here. This is because there was a big fraud with the nation in the 2013 general elections.”

He said that the PTI had approached every forum to point out rigging in the elections and had come out in the streets only as a last resort.

Imran said that he did not mint money nor does he compromise others despite being in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because the PTI had entered politics to fight the status quo.

The PTI chairman also hit hard at caretaker Punjab chief minister Najam Sethi, questioning “why did you allow rigging to take place?” He added that Sethi was prized with the office of Chairman PCB as a result. Sethi is currently the chairman of an eight-member management committee in PCB and is in contention for the International Cricket Council (ICC) presidency nomination from Pakistan.

Imran once again referred to the statement of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan that 60,000 to 70,000 votes of every constituency were unverifiable, and claimed Nawaz Sharif had “bought the courts and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).”

About PTI’s next big rally, the former cricketer said that on November 30, “it is going to be Pakistan’s biggest rally in Islamabad.”

The PTI chairman said that it was a defining moment for Pakistan and we would not end the sit-in till resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. “There cannot be transparent investigations into rigging allegations unless Nawaz Sharif, being beneficiary of rigging, is in office,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2014.