PESHAWAR: Four former lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have accused anti-corruption establishment (ACE) of ‘abetting unconstitutional campaign to dismantle their party’ and asked it to desist from taking further steps in violation of the Constitution.

The four former lawmakers including two ex-ministers Taimur Jhagra and Kamran Bangash, ex-deputy speaker Mahmood Jan and ex-MPA Asif Khan have sent a joint letter to ACE director wherein they have alleged that state machinery and resources are used to target the PTI leaders and force them to quit the party.

“After using the police department and district administration to achieve these objectives, now your establishment has also entered the fray in this unprecedented and illegal campaign of illegal, unlawful and absurd form of abuse of PTI leaders,” says the letter, submitted with the ACE on Friday.

The former lawmakers said that in that context, it was brought into their notice that an FIR was registered against them collectively by the ACE based on an anti-corruption investigation.

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They said in the letter that they firmly believed that the allegations in it were completely unfounded and politically motivated. Moreover, they said that they observed a pattern where all former MPAs from PTI were being accused of the same charges in a hurried manner.

“Also, all the MPAs charged at the time are those, who are unwilling to change political loyalties,” says the letter.

They former ministers and MPAs alleged that the attempt was part of the same campaign to abuse law, ignore the directives of the courts and pile pressure on PTI members, who did not go the ‘press conference’ route to be brought to submission and change their political affiliation, which, rather than the courts, seemed to be the only way for any PTI member to be declared innocent.

“It appears that despite heading an anti-corruption watchdog, you have disregarded the provisions of the law and the facts and circumstances leading to the FIR,” the letter told the ACE director.

It adds that it is evident that the charges of corruption against them are baseless and have been levelled for ulterior motives, of which the ACE director must be aware.

“We must draw your attention to the constitutional guarantees enshrined in the chapter on fundamental rights. The said guarantees clearly manifest following “due process of law”. The judgments of the superior court in this respect are also magnanimously clear, however, you and your establishment have clearly chosen to shut your eyes to these guarantees,” says the letter.

The former lawmakers said that the provisions of Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which pertained to the punishment for criminal misconduct, were applicable to public servants.

“As elected officials, we are not by any yardstick public servants under Section 21 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which is the section of law that defines public servant under the relevant Act and rules,” they added.

They said that they reserved the right to take appropriate legal action and hold the ACE director accountable for any damage caused to their reputation and fundamental rights.

A senior official of the ACE, when contacted, said that the establishment was yet to receive the letter officially. “Once we receive the letter, we will reply to them (former lawmakers) as per law,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2023