ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to challenge the “controversial” election act recently passed by the Parliament which paved the way for disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to head his ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) again.

Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, PTI leader Babar Awan blasted the government for making legislation to facilitate a ‘single’ person and said that it is not acceptable, adding that the party will challenge the “controversial” act in the Supreme Court. He said that a disqualified person can neither participate in the electoral process nor can hold a political party’s office. He maintained that a clause of the act, which allows a disqualified person to become the member of the Parliament and head of a political party, is an attack on the Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

Awan also criticized the government for its alleged inability to respond to the external threats, saying it seems that there is no government in the country at all. “Pakistan is facing threats to its national security, while the government is seen nowhere,” he added. He said that the rulers are not ready to talk about security challenges the country is facing on the eastern border with India. He stated that the Indian army chief recently threatened to target Pakistan’s nuclear assets, and United States Defence Secretary James Mattis declared that the US is opposing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), because it is passing through a disputed territory, but the Prime Minister did not respond in this regard, he added.

He also criticized the PML-N for “misusing” the taxpayers’ money, while using Punjab House for its political activities, adding that the ruling party should avoid government-run buildings for political activities.

To a question about the FATA Reforms, Awan said the government without any delay should proceed on the reforms and take a decision on merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PTI’s spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry alleged that the PML-N and members of the Sharif family are trying to make Pakistan Army and the judiciary controversial through baseless allegations.

At present, he stated, two other former premiers namely Raja Pervez Ashraf and Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani are facing the NAB cases that have been on the Exit Control List for the last six years. “They [Sharifs] said that there is a conspiracy being hatched against them, but the question arises as to who are those conspirators who first deposited billions of rupees in the accounts owned by Nawaz Sharif’s children, and purchased properties in foreign countries from that money and then the foreign independent institution, ICIJ, was asked to unearth this conspiracy,” he added.

He said that there was simply a case against the Sharif family of Rs 300 billion which were laundered and for that they are required to satisfy the country’s courts.

Responding to Maryam Nawaz’s arguments that her brothers were non-residents, he said that Hassan and Hassan will have to come to face the country’s courts for the alleged plunder from the national exchequer. “Don’t worry, you will definitely comeback to the country to face Pakistani laws and also to go to Pakistani jails,” he said, adding that the PTI would take forward its quest for the accountability.

He also demanded that volume-10 of the Panama Papers case verdict should be made public, adding that the PTI also demands that the video interviews conducted by the joint investigation team (JIT) should also be made public.

He also claimed that the World Bank has refused to hold talks with Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar for the case against him in the accountability court, while the interior minister has been sent to the US to hold talks with the US officials on the country’s economy.

He clarified that Imran Khan had no shares in the NSL, while he only owned an apartment there, which was already disclosed here in the country.

To a question about Imran Khan’s consistent non-appearing before the courts, he said that Khan appeared before the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the PML-N had to flee. However, in the case against PTI chairman in the anti-terrorism court, he said that the party has devised a strategy to challenge the case, adding that declaring a political activity as a terrorist act is unlawful.