Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz yesterday said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was criticising state institutions to protect his assets made through corruption.
Talking to media in Islamabad, he said it is unfortunate that a three-time prime minister of the country is making anti-state speeches. He said Sharif made assets of billions of rupees abroad through money laundering.
He urged the former prime minister to explain his assets abroad instead of beating about the bush. He contrasted that with Prime Minister Imran Khan, who, Faraz said, had provided money trail in court.
The minister said the people of Pakistan gave three chances to Sharif to rule Pakistan, but he ruined the country’s economy and its institutions. He said former rulers wasted $23 billion to artificially control the value of greenback.
Faraz said the government and the judiciary, while showing sympathy, allowed Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment, but in response the ex-PM was busy in weakening the country.
Regarding Sharif’s allegations of rigging in last general elections, the minister said the Sharifs were “professional liars”. He recalled that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had launched a movement in the opposition and demanded the opening of a mere four constituencies in General Election 2013 (to verify their claims of a rigged election).
He said around 487 election petitions were filed by various political parties, while the majority of them was submitted by the PTI. He said in 2018 elections, 287 election petitions were filed and 90 of them were about National Assembly constituencies.
He said 45 of those 90 petitions were filed by PTI where its candidates had lost elections with a margin of 50 to 2000 votes. He said Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz considers Punjab its stronghold, where the total election petitions were 13 of which 11 belonged to PML-N.
“What an irony it is that after the lapse of two years, Sharif is now talking of rigging. They should have followed the due process instead of maligning the entire election proceedings,” Faraz noted.
He said the Sharifs were trying to mislead the people but would not succeed in their nefarious designs. He alleged Sharif was blackmailing the government and state institutions to hide his corruption. But he vowed the government was determined to go after the corrupt regardless of the consequences.
Speaking about the government’s efforts to reduce inflation, Faraz said there was sufficient stock of wheat and sugar in the country. He said the government was working on evolving a strategy to ensure essential items like flour, sugar, ghee, pulses, and other things at affordable rates to the general public.
Upset: Sharif has been criticising state institutions to protect his assets made through corruption, says Shibli Faraz.
