Cases can’t be avoided by attacking institutions: Marriyum

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that cases cannot be avoided by dodging the law, evading the courts, and attacking national institutions. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest has nothing to do with politics, nor it was an act of political vendetta, she said during an exclusive interview with BBC World. “Peaceful protest is a democratic right of any political party or worker, but no protesters came out on the arrest of chairman PTI as people cannot be fooled every time, courts are there,” she said. The minister said that the legal procedures were completed in the Toshakhana case against chairman PTI, and on the completion of his trial, the court announced a verdict on which he was arrested. She said that Chairman PTI failed to present evidence in his defense, he was accused of abuse of power, but he could not answer questions when asked about state gifts. She said apart from this, four more cases of theft of 190 million British pounds, cipher, May 9 tragedy and foreign funding case are also in the trial courts against Imran. In response to a question, the minister said that no one can be given impunity for misuse of powers. She said that the arrest of Imran Khan has nothing to do with the elections, he was arrested on the order of the court. He said that when three-time elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested, the elections of 2018 were very close, he was arrested along with his daughter and sent to jail. Marriyum said that when in power Imran Khan jailed all political rivals during his tenure. He misused their powers, used NAB and FIA for the witch-hunt of his political opponents but the present government did not indulge in such tactics. She said that the law took its course though Imran Khan kept running away from the law, he did not answer the questions of the court and was found guilty by the trial court. Marriyum Aurangzeb said that whenever the court summoned him, the situation worsened in Zaman Park, the judicial complex was attacked, then there was also the May 9 tragedy. She said that when the court saw that dishonesty was proved beyond any doubt, it issued its verdict. The minister said that one has to be accountable for one’s actions in the law, it has nothing to do with politics, Imran Khan masterminded the May 9 mayhem, instigated party workers to attack sensitive installations, attack national institutions, hospitals, schools and ambulances. She said that there were also attacks on Capitol Hill in the United States and all those who were involved in them have been punished irrespective of their status. She said that a person who has been proven guilty in court has to be arrested. In response to a question, the minister said that during the investigation process in the trial court, Imran Khan was given ample opportunities through 40 hearings but he appeared only three times and could not provide any proof in his defense. On another question, the federal minister of information said that the arrest of Imran Khan cannot be compared that of Nawaz Sharif. When allegations against Nawaz Sharif were levelled, he as prime minister, he wrote a letter to Supreme Court for his accountability. He appeared in day-to-day hearings of NAB court for 150 times. No one burnt any ambulance, hospital, mosque or school during protest against Nawaz Sharif arrest, she maintained. Meanwhile, Marriyum said at a press conference that people fully knows the difference between development, destruction and conspiracies. She recalled that the PTI pelted petrol bombs on the police when the PTI chief’s residence in Zaman Park was raided. She said the PTI chief was the mastermind of May 9 incidents when the Law Enforcement Agencies’ vans, mosques, ambulances, memorials of martyrs and sensitive installations were set on fire. On the contrary, she said the three-time prime minister brought prosperity and development in the country by ending load-shedding and curbing terrorism. Nawaz Sharif launched China Pakistan Economic Corridor, made the country’s defence impregnable and spread network of roads across Pakistan, she added. Marriyum said curbs were imposed on the media and freedom of expression during the four-year of the PTI, however, the press clubs across the country provided a platform to the then opposition leaders to spread their messages among the masses and highlight fascism of the previous regime. She said the PTI chairman was declared “predator” for media by the international organization, but Pakistan ranking in press freedom improved during the last fifteen months of the coalition government.