Prime Minister Imran Khan has told government spokespersons to ‘play on the front foot (aggressively) against the opposition’.
“The opposition has come out openly in its anti-state [narrative],” said the prime minister at in a meeting he chaired on Wednesday, advising government spokespersons to render any tactic by the opposition ineffective. A private TV channel reported that the prime minister said that the masses had become aware of the opposition’s objectives, lamenting that they have even resorted to politics of issues of national interest. He said that the recent Gallup Pakistan survey has revealed how the PTI was more popular than the PML-N and the PPP, saying that the ruling party will win the Gilgit-Baltistan elections. “Give priority to the government’s narrative, face the opposition on every forum,” said Imran Khan to participants of the meeting.
The TV channel reported that the prime minister said that the improving economic situation is worrying for the opposition. He vowed that prices of sugar and wheat will come down in a few days.
Separately, Advisor to Prime Minister on Accountability Barrister Shehzad Akbar said that it is a historic day as Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shahbaz and others have been indicted by an accountability court in money laundering, assets beyond means and corruption reference. He said the prosecution had produced a number of evidences pertaining to involvement of Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz and others in corruption and money laundering, adding that now the trial would run and the
case would soon be concluded towards its logical end.
Addressing a press conference here at 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam in Lahore, he said the indictment of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz had proved that evidences and proofs, shared with the media by him were real and factual, adding that today’s charge sheet against Shehbaz Sharif and his family was consisted of 31 pages and 52 paragraphs which indicated that they were involved in looting money by plundering national exchequer.
Shehzad Akbar said that in this case, four accused including Salman Shehbaz, Ali Ahmad, Nisar Gull and Tahir Naqvi had been declared proclaimed offenders by the court, while efforts were being made to get them back.
This NAB’s reference was of about Rs 7.3 billion in which the money was looted and transferred through telegraphic transfer which was no doubt a legal mean of transfer money but the Shehbaz Sharif, his family and other accused had used telegraphic transfer medium to transfer ill-gotten money to their accounts, he maintained.
The Advisor said that Mushtaq & Co’s owner Mushtaq his son Yasir Mushtaq had become approvers in this case who also revealed that how they managed to transfer illegal money, earned through kickbacks and corruption to Shahbaz Sharif’s family’s accounts besides money laundering through telegraphic transfers.
Shehzad Akbar said that other accused including Shahid Mehmood and Aftab owned money exchange company, while accused Qasim Qayyum was involved in handing over cash to be transferred to accounts of Shehbaz Sharif and his family members abroad and their businesses, adding that all the evidences and testimonies had been surfaced which would be enough to take this case to its logical end.
Shehbaz Sharif and his family members had never cross examined the witnesses and answered the questions being asked in this case but they always tried to find out an escape by using lame excuses and delaying tactics, he said and added that such tactics would not further work as they had to give answers of their doing and corruptions.
Shehzad Akbar said that after the year 2008, Shehbaz Sharif used telegraphic transfers to flourish his businesses as he also made payments of his bulletproof vehicle and properties through these telegraphic transfers, adding that in this case, the credentials of more than 70 common people were used to make telegraphic transfers, whose economic condition was not good enough, which proved the fraud of Shehbaz Sharif and his family.
