The lockdown of Islamabad would not be allowed : Muhammad Zubair

Lahore : The federal government on Monday announced that it would not allow anyone to lock down the capital and would ensure writ of the state at every cost.

Addressing a news conference along with PMLN MNAs Daniyal Aziz and Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Privatization Muhammad Zubair said the government would fulfill its constitutional obligation and take all possible measures to ensure writ of the state.He said Islamabad High Court (IHC) had designated a place for PTI to hold a public meeting on November 2 in a peaceful manner. He said PTI chief Imran Khan should come forward and ensure that his party workers gather at the designated venue and not create any law and order situation, disturbing routine life of the citizens.

The Minister said the government would facilitate PTI in holding the public meeting at the allocated ‘Democracy Park and Speech Corner’, for which a clear assurance from PTI was required.

He regretted that PTI leaders including Naeem ul Haq had time and again said that his party activists would bring the routine life to standstill in the federal capital, blocking all roads even those leading to hospitals and schools.

Zubair said PTI leadership was instigating the party workers for violence to disturb routine life in the capital, adding “making announcements to lock down the federal capital do not suit any leadership.”  He asked Imran Khan to have complete faith in the judiciary and announce to accept its verdict no matter whatever it would be.

The Minister said the PTI chief should behave in a civilized manner to get disagreements resolved through judiciary, which is going to hold hearing of the case on November 1.

Member National Assembly Pakistan Muslim League(N) Daniyal Aziz said Imran Khan himself had an offshore company Niazi Services Limited which was registered in New Jersey in 1993.

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) showed on its website that Moonis Elahi, son of Pervaiz Elahi had the most prominent offshore company in Singapore. Pervaiz Elahi had stated that he wanted to come to Islamabad to remove barriers, he added.

Daniyal said those who have offshore companies now wanted accountability on the issue of Panama leaks. Imran Khan and his associates had offshore companies and the PTI chief lost millions of dollars of zakat money in offshore companies along with his Indian partners. Jehangir Tareen, Aleem Khan and Haleema Khan had offshore companies, he added. He said Election Commission had asked Imran Khan to appear before it on November 2 to explain his position on miss declaration of assets.

He recalled that during the last sit in of PTI, President House, Parliament, Prime Minister House and Secretariat were attacked. The ICJC on its website had deleted the name of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The legal section of the website stated that name of Nawaz Sharif was not in the Panama Leaks and neither it was implied nor suggested that the persons whose names were mentioned in Panama Leaks did anything wrong, he explained.

Daniyal said in the petition of Imran Khan before the Supreme Court on Panama issue, the name of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not mentioned as a respondent.  PTI knew that its petition in the Supreme Court was a ridiculous joke as yet again it has not produced any evidence, he added.

The petition of PTI on Panama Leaks was similar to their accusation of 35 punctures, which Imran Khan said was a mere political statement, he added.

Talal Chaudhry said in Pakistan in the last 70 years, the right to protest was exercised. However, chaos could not be allowed in the name of protest, he said adding it was for the first time that chief minister of a province was leading assault on Islamabad, he added.

Talal said armed men wanted to lock down Islamabad and paralyze the capital so that images could be showed that there was no government working in Islamabad. He said official weapons including tear gas gun, shells and bullet proof jacket had been recovered from PTI leaders, for which a probe would have to be initiated as how they managed to get these things. He said bringing arms and armed party activists in the federal capital in the name of protest had exposed evil designs of PTI.

He expressed resolve that the government would not allow anyone to create law and order situation. Talal said Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervaiz

Khattak was using official helicopter, vehicles and all other machinery for political activities of PTI, which was unjustified. He said, “first of all, we all are Pakistanis, but the chief Minister of KP is provoking people of the province in the name of Pakhtun, Punjabi, Sindhi and Balochi.”

Answering a question, he said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz believed in promoting democratic norms in the country and rejected rumours of imposition of governor rule in KP.

Replying to another question, Talal said Maryam Nawaz Sharif would file one billion damages suit against PTI leader Naeem ul Haq for defaming her.