Imran using foreign funds to destabilize country: Pervaiz Rashid

Lahore: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid Thursday said that chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan was using foreign funds to destabilize the country.                      

Addressing a news conference along with MNA Danyal Aziz, he  said, Imran Khan had utilized foreign funds in initiating civil disobedience movement and in an attempt to topple an elected democratic government.

He said Imran Khan had conspired against the state after getting funds from  the country’s enemies, but the patriotic countrymen had foiled his move. As per Political Parties Act no political party could get funds from foreigners or any foreign agency or government.                   

He said Imran Khan had illegally participated in the general election 2013 after getting funds from foreigners and used that money for destabilizing the country. Imran would have to answer his anti-democratic moves, he added.

He said patriotic people of the country had foiled the conspiracy of Imran Khan by voting for Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz in 2013.

Imran’s cheating had also been exposed by his own fellow party man Akbar S Baber, who is an honest person. He said it was the same Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which Imran Khan used to blame, by saying it was hand in gloves with other political parties.

Showing documents, he said, Imran Khan had concealed receiving foreign funds from the ECP and used them during  protests and sit-ins.He asked, why ECP had not taken action against PTI on filing accounts details so late.

He wondered how Imran managed public meetings of musical concerts. The bill of only installing and using sound system was a whooping Rs 250 million. Imran should answer the questions regarding foreign fundings, he reiterated.

The minister said he was not hurling mere allegations but had solid documentary proof of Imran’s receipt of foreign funds. He said the information secretary of PTI had recently admitted in a TV programme that PTI had filed statement of accounts to ECP just a week ago. He reminded it was the same ECP against which Imran had hurled repeated allegations of being hands in gloves with the other political parties.

He said the ECP had delayed the decision on a petition filed by Akbar S Baber for 13 months and surprisingly it had acted quickly against the Kissan Package announced by the Prime Minister for benefitting poor farmers having 12.5 acres of land on the pressure of Imran Khan.Why ECP had allowed Imran Khan, who had admitted receiving millions of dollars from foreigners, to participate in the general election in 2013, he asked. Why ECP did not take any action despite the fact that attention was drawn towards it repeatedly, he also questioned.

He said the foreigners had donated generously for PTI during sit-in days with the sole purpose to destabilize the country.

During those days the foreign funding for PTI was at its peak.

PTI had concealed receiving funds from foreigners, which tentamount  to grave rigging.He said Imran Khan could be seen admitting receipt of foreign funds, on the website of American Justice Department. He said if Imran had not committed any fraud why he was  shying away to answer the questions regarding receipt of foreign funds.

Danyal Aziz, a PML-N, MNA said PTI had attacked the state. He presented documents showing details of foreign funding received by  PTI.

The company of Indal Gopal, despite bankruptcy continued donating funds to PTI. Receiving foreign funds was a grave act and it must be noticed by the people and the ECP. It was a pity that despite such facts PTI boast of creating a `New Pakistan.’

Virtually, he said PML-N had brought economic stability to the country as its foreign reserves had crossed a historic Rs 20 billion mark, while the interest rate was extremely low.