The Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has supported Islamabad High Court’s decision to not allow Nawaz Sharif get treatment abroad. He remarked the decision was based on legal grounds and on merit.
The federal minister said a wrong precedent would be set if the prisoners were allowed to go abroad on medical grounds adding that half of the inmates would have to be released if it was allowed. He said that Nawaz Sharif remained the Prime Minister three times but he could not build a single hospital where he could be given medical treatment.
The minister showed his admiration on the way NAB prosecutor contested the case. He said that the all the NAB cases in the courts were filed during the previous government and PTI had nothing to do with them.
All the management of NAB was appointed during the PML-N government and the PTI regime did not recruit a single person in the accountability watchdog, he added. He said that in the previous regime, the State Bank Governor, National Bank President and SECP chairman were apparently partners of the PMLN leadership in the alleged money laundering.
The federal minister made it clear that if there is any amendment in the NAB law, then it will be to further strengthen NAB, not to give relief to the looters and plunderers of the national wealth. He said no discrimination was being meted out against the opposition. He reminded that some leaders from PTI have also been arrested in accountability cases.
The minister was speaking to media persons at a conference named “Occupied Kashmir: The victim of State and Societal Coercion”.
Against war mongering
Speaking about the current tensions with India, the federal minister said that Indian Prime Minister Modi should contest elections on performance, not on war mongering against Pakistan. The information minister said Pakistan was desirous of peace with India but state terrorism in Occupied Kashmir, needs to stop immediately. He said India has turned Kashmir into the most militarized territory of the world with one soldier for every 10 Kashmiris but it has failed to coerce Kashmiris who have been giving unprecedented sacrifices for the grant of right to self-determination. He added that Kashmir was never part of India in the past and it will never be its part in the future as well. He said that Kashmiris will have to be given their due rights like other free people of the world.
The Minister for Information stated that Pakistan has repeatedly offered talks to India which has always shunned the offer by showing stubbornness. Pakistan was ready to take two steps if India takes one step for normalization of bilateral relations, the minister said.
Published in Daily Times, February 26th 2019.
