KARACHI: Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Mohammad Asif has said that warrant for arrest of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has been issued by the anti-corruption establishment of Punjab, but PML-N leaders are not scared of such moves of the provincial government.

“We have bravely fought the cases filed against us earlier and we will do so in future as well,” said Mr Asif while talking to the media here on Saturday.

He said they wanted to get the interior minister arrested before their planned march on the federal capital, because the party believed he was a major hurdle to their protest in Islamabad’s Red Zone.

The defence minister said the recent audio leaks had exposed the real face of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who used to liken horse-trading in parliament to idolatry in Islam, as in the Friday audio clips he could be heard talking about buying loyalty of lawmakers. He said Mr Khan could get forensic audit of the audio clips or challenge them in a court of law if those were fake. Even international firms could be asked for forensic examination of the audio, he remarked.

Asks Imran to get forensic audit of audios or challenge them in court if those are fake

He said national interest should be given priority over personal interest. He said political parties should at least agree to work together to resolve economic issues being faced by the nation. He recalled that Pakistani forces had shown great performance against terrorism and sacrificed their lives for establishment of law and order.

Mr Khan said ‘neutrals’ were animals and he also termed them Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq, which was regrettable, the minister said, adding that neutrality of institutions only meant they worked under the Constitution.

Mr Asif said that before the 2018 elections, Mr Khan had made promises to the people to give 10 million jobs and five million houses. However, none of those promises were fulfilled, he said, asking the PTI chief to tell the nation which of his promises had been fulfilled and narratives proven correct thus far.

His narratives of ‘imported’ government and buying of votes had also been exposed with the release of the audio clips, the minister said. Mr Khan’s narratives and his lies showed he was not loyal with the country and the nation, he said. His narrative of external conspiracy, the cipher and ‘true freedom’ had also been exposed, he added.

“They [PTI leaders] are talking about extending the tenure of the army chief, keeping in mind what is expected to happen in March and April,” the defence minister remarked. He believed Mr Khan would not find a place to hide in coming days.

About the 190 million pounds that Britain had sent belonged to the Pakistani government, but the former prime minister credited it to Malik Riaz’s liability account, he said.

The minister also regretted that none of the PTI leaders, including its chairman, was seen visiting flood victims.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022