ISLAMABAD: The Paki­stan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has asked Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to explain why a hefty amount of Rs22 million from the exchequer was spent on the security of and the VVIP protocol accorded to the Sharif family during their appearance before a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in connection with the Panama papers case investigation.

The party warned the minister that it would file a case in a court of law against him if he failed to clarify his position and that of his ministry on this matter.

“Unfortunately the misuse of public money for the security and protection of the Sharif family members during their appearance at the accountability court of Islamabad continues under your ministry,” PTI leader Andleeb Abbas said in a letter sent to the interior minister.

“The interior ministry is mandated to ensure security of the people and not the security of the Sharif family and their loyalists. In case a clarification from your end is not provided according to Right to Information (RTI), a public litigation case will be filed against the minister for misuse of public office for personal gains,” it said.

“Kindly give me certified information and respond to these questions within 21days as specified in the Freedom of Information Ordinance-2002,” she said.

Ms Abbas said that Maryum Nawaz, the daughter of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had been given a protocol of 34 government vehicles and 1,000 police personnel had been deployed to protect her during her appearance at the accountability court on Oct 9. “Why millions of rupees of taxpayers’ money was spent for the security of a private person, as the use of money and resources in this way is an act of misuse of public office and is a form of corruption,” she said.

Besides, the PTI leader asked the minister why his brother, Mustafa Kamal, the owner of the Horti Group, had been awarded a Rs48m contract in 2015 for Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metro Bus-related development projects despite the fact that his organisation was technically unfit to execute such projects. “Kindly inform us why taxpayers’ money is being wasted due to nepotism and corruption?” she questioned.

Ms Abbas claimed that some ministers, including Ahsan Iqbal, visited London to meet Nawaz Sharif on public expenses.

“You visited Nawaz Sharif in London in the third week of Sept 2017, and participated in the PML-N’s meeting on Sept 23. There are reports that this private visit was made by using public funds. Kindly provide documentary evidence of your ticket and stay and payment sources...,” she said.

“We have also seen members of the federal cabinet and MNAs whose salaries are paid from taxpayers’ money, including Mr Talal Chaudry, State Minister for Interior, receiving Ms Maryam Nawaz and her husband and then accompanying them to the accountability court, instead of performing their ministerial duties.

The letter further said that Khawar Ikram Bhatti, who had slapped a police officer during Ms Nawaz’s appearance at the accountability court on Oct 13, has been removed as the Punjab’s additional advocate general due to video evidence of his hooliganism against the policeman, but the Islamabad police had filed an FIR about this incidence against some unidentified men despite the fact that Mr Bhatti had been caught red-handed assaulting the officer.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2017