Iftikhar Chaudhry terms son-in-law's arrest in housing scam as govt's propaganda

Published September 27, 2018
Former chief justice of Pakistan Chaudhry Iftikhar. — Photo/File
Former chief justice of Pakistan Chaudhry Iftikhar. — Photo/File

Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Thursday denied any involvement in the Eden Housing or Bahria Housing scams, claiming that his son-in-law had not been arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) but the Interpol.

"FIA has nothing to do with the case," he said.

The son-in-law of former chief justice, Murtaza Amjad, was arrested from Dubai on Wednesday in a case regarding the multi-billion Eden Housing Society scam, in what Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry described as a "breakthrough".

Iftikhar Chaudhry insisted that Amjad had nothing to do with the Eden Housing scam as "he holds Canadian citizenship and does not come to Pakistan". He alleged that the PTI government was "spreading propaganda" against him because he had challenged Prime Minister Imran Khan's election in court.

The former chief justice further said that the high courts in Islamabad and Peshawar had already issued notices to PM Khan and he was also considering to file a disqualification case against the premier in an election tribunal.

Terming Fawad Chaudhry's claims — who said the former CJP had given "relief" to the owners of the housing society because they were the in-laws of his daughter — as lies and warned that he would file a case against the minister under Article 62.

He attacked the government's austerity drive, saying that "the country cannot be run by selling clothes, cutlery, and buffaloes".

"Those who claimed that they will not beg for loans are now looking forward to negotiations with the International Monetary Fund," he said.

He also accused the courts for adopting a "lenient approach" towards former president Pervez Musharraf who was facing a treason case.

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