ISLAMABAD: Mushahid­ullah Khan became the first victim of the perceived ongoing civil-military tussle on Saturday when he was asked to quit his cabinet position over his allegations against a former chief of the Inter Services Intelligence.

“Yes, Mushahidullah Sahib has sent his resignation through email from [the] Maldives,” Information Minister Pervez Rashid told Dawn, confirming that the climate change minister had been asked by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign immediately and return to the country.

Mr Rashid refuted reports that the prime minister had sought a written explanation from the outgoing minister or summoned him for any meeting, saying there was no need for it since the interview clearly showed that he had talked in an “irresponsible manner”.

Leaving the controversy behind in the country, Mr Mushahidullah left for the Maldives on Saturday morning to attend an international conference on climate change. But the information minister said he would return on Sunday morning without attending the conference.

PTI calls for probe into controversy

Not satisfied with the minister’s resignation, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) called for setting up a commission to investigate charges that last year’s sit-in of the party was sponsored by the military.

“If anyone is found guilty, he should be severely punished and if those making the accusations are exposed as liars they need to be removed from office and politics,” said PTI Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari.

But Pervez Rashid rejected her demand and said: “The prime minister has already taken the required action and there is no need for it.”

He advised PTI Chairman Imran Khan to show courage and implement recommendations of the commission headed by retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed before asking the government to form a similar body.

Senator Mushahidullah, who is also the PML-N’s information secretary, had stated in his interview to the BBC on the eve of Independence Day that “the former head of ISI had hatched a conspiracy to remove the elected government”.

He claimed that the plan was made when the ‘Azadi March’ by PTI and the Inquilab March by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek entered Islamabad in August last year. He also alleged that then head of ISI, Gen Zaheerul Islam, had prepared the plan to stir unrest and chaos in the country.

Mushahidullah had also claimed that “telephone discussions of the former intelligence head have been recorded in which he is heard giving directives on how to create chaos and take over the PM’s House and that the audio tape provided by the Intelligence Bureau was played by the prime minister before Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif during their meeting on Aug 28 last year”.

After his remarks were carried by news channels on Friday evening, first the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and then the ISPR denied that any conspiracy was hatched against the government.

Asked if Mr Mushahidullah could be asked to quit his Senate seat or office of the ruling party’s information secretary, Pervez Rashid said his resignation from the cabinet was sufficient.

PTI HITS BACK: Dr Shireen Mazari accused the government of hurling baseless allegations against the PTI over its peaceful sit-in, trying to link it to some grand conspiracy involving the military, specifically the ISI.

“The purpose is clearly to malign both the PTI and a strategic organisation of the state.”

She said the PTI was fed up with such “dangerous and debilitating games” the PML-N was playing, especially at a time when the military was involved in operations against terrorism.

She pointed out that the latest interview to a foreign media house proved that the PTI and the army were maligned intentionally.

“While the whole nation has condemned the MQM’s attack on the army, members of the government are indulging in the same game,” she said in an apparent reference to such statements by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

“Although the PM has contradicted his minister’s claims, this game of accusations about the PTI sit-in being part of a conspiracy by the ISI to bring down democracy and then some weak contradictions flowing from other members of the cabinet – this time the PM himself – are becoming absurd,” she said.

Ms Mazari recalled that Imran Khan had repeatedly explained the circumstances which led his party to go for the sit-in as a last resort.

“It is time for these malicious games now that media has a field day in conjecturing wild plots and conspiracy theories fanned by irresponsible and baseless accusations hurled by ministers,” she said.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2015

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