PESHAWAR/SWABI: The Awami National Party has rejected the formation of a ministerial committee by Prime Minister Imran Khan to probe the revelations by UK-based firm Broadsheet LLC about corruption and money laundering in Pakistan and demanded of the Supreme Court chief justice to take a suo motu notice of the matter to bring facts to light.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, ANP central president Asfandyar Wali Khan said he had reservations about the government’s inquiry committee, whose formation was an attempt to distort facts about the Broadsheet corruption and money laundering revelations.

“This [ministerial] probe body is a mere joke and nothing else. We cannot expect any good from it. It won’t show the nation facts of the Broadsheet matter,” he said.

The ANP chief said first of all, Premier Imran Khan and him should be subjected to the accountability process to ‘expose falsehood’.

He said the government wasn’t bothered about the accountability of corrupt people and it was interested in the political victimisation of opposition leaders.

Asfandyar asks CJP to take suo motu notice of matter

Mr Asfandyar said the government was misleading the nation in the name of accountability to divert their attention from its flawed economic policy and growing unemployment and inflation.

He claimed that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was attempting to evade the foreign funding case.

The ANP chief said PM Imran Khan had always opposed the grant of funds to parliamentarians by declaring it political bribe but he had made a U-turn on it by approving such funds for development schemes in the lawmakers’ areas.

He also demanded a probe into former Supreme Court chief justice Saqib Nisar’s Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dam Fund.

Mr Asfandyar said his party would remain an active member of the opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement to ensure the early ousters of the incompetent federal government.

He asked the people to extend an all-out support to the PDM against the government.

Meanwhile, ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan told a function of party workers in Swabi on Wednesday and asked Pakhtuns to support the leaders fighting for their rights. The event was held to honour the Khudai Khidmatgar families on Wednesday.

The ANP leader said Pakhtuns won’t get rights until they’re united.

He said Pakhtuns were denied their resources, employment opportunities, education and other facilities.

On the occasion, ANP provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak said ANP leaders Bacha Khan and Khan Abdul Wali Khan strived for the rights of Pakhtuns.

Former adviser to the chief minister Mukhtar Khan and ANP district president Amanullah urged workers to make every effort to strengthen the party.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2021