PTI’s threat to shut down Islamabad revolt against state: Muhammad Zubair

Lahore : Minister of State for Privatization Muhammad Zubair Sunday said the plan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to shut down Islamabad on November 2 was tantamount to revolt against
the state.
Addressing a news conference here, he said the PTI chief Imran Khan and other party leaders were threatening to stop the government functioning forcibly and not allow the people to open business
centers and schools, and run metro buses. “They threaten to even close schools and colleges, and
then talk about the future generation,” he added.

Zubair said the residents of the Capital had suffered a lot during the PTI’s last 126-day sit-in. And now the shut-down in Islamabad would not only create problems for its residents but also for four million people of Rawalpindi, he added. The government, he said, would ensure that the constitutional
rights of the people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were not trampled on by the PTI and the state institutions continued to function.

The minister said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif answered to the opposition’s questions in the parliament and put everything before them. But the opposition leaders instead of speaking in the
parliament came out where Imran Khan in the company of PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah, whom he till date accused of being corrupt,held a press conference, he added.

He said it was time for the PTI to prove its allegations in the court with evidence and defend its case in the Election Commission but it was instead resorting to violence as ‘lies’ of its leadership
were going to be exposed.He alleged that Imran Khan was opting for a violent way on the
pretext of ‘delayed justice’ and by doing so he was giving a message to the people to attack courts if their cases were delayed.

Zubair said the name of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not mentioned in the Panama leaks and all details about his assets were very much clear. “I am ready to argue with anyone at any forum
about the Panama leaks issue,” he added.

He said the PTI was probably fearing its defeat in next general elections as the people would reject it due to successful implementation of projects and policies by the PML-N.Loadshedding would end as per the Prime Minister’s commitment,besides successful implementation of the CPEC project and completion
of several other projects for the well-being of common people before 2018 general elections, he added.

“The PTI knows well about the victory of PML-N in the next general elections because of its performance, therefore, it is resorting to the politics of violence and arson,” he said.

He said Imran Khan always talked of accountability, but he had never held himself accountable for the acts he asked others to explain.
Imran Khan remained involved in money-laundering, tax evasion, and Benami transactions for 33 years, he alleged.

The minister raised questions about Imran Khan’s tax returns. Imran,he said, from 1981 to 1983 showed his income less than Rs 100,000 but in 1983 he purchased a flat in Britain for 20,000 pounds and asked
how the amount was transferred amount from Pakistan for purchasing the flat.

He said Imran Khan formed an offshore company namely Niazi Limited Services in 1983, but never showed it in his tax returns until details about it were disclosed. Imran Khan claimed that he sold the flat in 2003 and then why he continued ownership of the offshore company till 2015, he questioned.

Zubair asked Imran Khan to disclose his sources of income which he used to buy the Banni Gala residence at Rs 350 million.”First he purchased the residence and then transferred it to his
ex-wife, who later gifted it back to him – a very surprising episode,”he said.

He said Imran Khan should show the details of tax paid on the Bani Gala property.
Imran Khan, he said, also got booked a flat in Grand Heights at Islamabad in 2014, but that too was not mentioned in his tax returns.The black money owned by Imran Khan was whitened through an amnesty
scheme in 2000, he alleged.

Zubair retierated that Imran Khan should first answer questions related to him and then call for accountability of others.He said the PTI leadership was afraid of political future of Maryam Nawaz. They should better read the constitution of United Kingdom to know the definition of `Beneficial Owner’ before talking about her, he added.

The minister accused Imran Khan of duplicity. On one side he talked of accountability of the corrupt and on the other he sacked Director General of Ehtesab Commission Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Lt-General (r) Hamid because he had pointed out the corruption of the chief minister and a provincial minister.

Similarly, he rejected the report of Justice (r) Wajihuddin about intra-party elections because he had recommended to suspend party membership of big names, including Jehangir Tareen, Aleem Khan
and Pervez Khattak over rigging charges while Tasneem Noorani had to leave the party when he termed the sale of party tickets the main reason of PTI’s failure in 2013 election, the task he was assigned,
Zubair added.