ISLAMABAD: Senator Sherry Rehman, the federal minister for climate change, referred to the violent response of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as extremely alarming and condemnable on Wednesday.
According to the minister, such a burning siege following a legal arrest has never occurred in the nation. The attack on military officials’ homes and sensitive institutions, according to senator Sherry Rehman, was not a protest but rather an attack. “PTI’s history is depressing. During his administration, Imran Khan imprisoned every critic, but we never set the nation on fire or attacked the institutions, she continued.
She added that Faryal Talpur was picked up from the hospital on Chand Raat, Maryam Nawaz was arrested from the hospital, and the opponents were kept in prison for two years.
Sherry Rehman said after the martyrdom of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khape’ (We want Pakistan) to reduce the anger and agitation of the people.
“Yesterday Tehreek-e-Insaf ran provocative ‘Stop Pakistan’ slogans and trends on social media. Imran Khan has been arrested in a corruption case,” Sherry Rehman said, adding, “If you are innocent, search and prove your innocence, as our leaders have proved in the past. Anarchy and arson will not prove Khan’s innocence.”
Meanwhile, PPP’s ally Pakistan Muslim League-N Spokesman and former member provincial assembly, Ikhtair Wali Khan Wednesday said that ransacking of public and government properties during protest demonstrations of the PTI workers was no service to the country and law would take its own course in these illegal acts.
He said that gory incidents like putting on fire a motorway toll plaza at Swat Expressway, goals market at Pachagi Road and Chagi mountains Model at Peshawar was very unfortunate and miscreants involved in it could not escape from law.
He said NAB had arrested the PTI chairman in Al-Qadar Trust corruption case and there was no justification of protest demonstrations and ransacking of the government and private properties after the Islamabad High Court declared his arrest legal and in accordance with law.
Wali said almost the entire PML-N leadership including a three times elected former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Senior Vice President, Maryam Nawaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and others had faced jails and courts with bravery and steadfastness during PTI government tenure and PML-N workers remained peaceful.
He questioned is Imran Khan above the law.
He said the judiciary was independent and PTI should wait for the court’s verdicts in Imran Khan’s case.
Ikhtair Wali Khan said PTI’s anti corruption claims were exposed before masses after the PTI government in KP closed its own created Ehtasab Commission at Peshawar to protect its alleged loot and plunder while referring to Tosha Khana and PTI foreign funding cases.
He said that the PTI leadership was hiding behind stay orders in mega corruption cases including BRT, adding that PTI’s flagship billion trees afforestation project was taken over by the NAB and demanded acceleration of its investigation.
Due to PTI violent protests, he said time of students of Khyber Pakthunkhwa was being wasted due to closure of schools, colleges and universities till May 13 while metric examinations were also postponed due to PTI’s unjustified strike.
