ISLAMABAD: PTI leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Thursday that his party has rejected the government’s proposed commission to probe the issue of “foreign conspiracy” against the former premier Imran Khan’s regime, adding “only a commission under an independent judiciary will be acceptable to them.”
While talking to reporters in Islamabad, Fawad said the ruling coalition has not been able to build any corruption cases against the PTI leadership. “PML-N has not been able to find any corruption cases against Imran Khan and his cabinet,” he said.
The development comes hours after the government announced that it had decided to form an inquiry commission to investigate former prime minister Imran Khan’s claims about a foreign conspiracy to oust the PTI-led government.
This was announced by Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb. The minister said that the commission would be headed by an impartial person so no one would be able to “raise a finger” against them and that the commission’s terms of reference would be laid before the federal cabinet at its next meeting.
Meanwhile, criticising the government, Fawad said that 24 ministers of the federal cabinet are on bail. “This amounts to disrespecting the entire nation,” he said.
Fawad said that his party will not allow anyone to offer [military] bases to any foreign country in Pakistan. “The US wanted to gain bases in Pakistan,” he said adding: “Conspiracy to remove Imran Khan’s government was planned after he refused to offer bases.”
He went on to say that the current government was imposed on Pakistan as “part of the conspiracy.”
Indirectly criticising the judiciary, he said: “People will now have to do the work of the courts.” “We will give the call for the Islamabad march soon,” he added.
Last week, PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced that the date for his party’s planned long march towards the capital Islamabad will be disclosed in the last week of May.
In a video message, Imran Khan said the decision had been taken by the PTI’s core committee. “We discussed in detail the call to long march and decided the date to be last week of May.”
He said the country had been disrespected as 60 percent of people in the cabinet are on bail. “This is an invitation not just to PTI but Pakistanis,” he said. “You have to tell the whole world that Pakistan is an alive nation.”
Khan claimed that a “sea of people” will gather in Islamabad which would certify that no foreign power could impose the corrupt clan on the people of Pakistan and that the nation will decide its fate.
Former PM Imran has repeatedly blamed a West-led conspiracy for the no-confidence motion against him. He also flashed a piece of paper during a rally on March 27, which he said was a letter proving the threat made to his government.
He said the “threat letter” carried details of a meeting that Asad Majeed Khan, ambassador of Pakistan to the US, had with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu in which the latter allegedly threatened Pakistan.
Lu apparently said Khan’s continuation as prime minister would have repercussions for bilateral relations. Khan claimed that the US was annoyed with his “independent foreign policy” and visit to Moscow.
Imran and his party have also claimed that the alleged threat of his ouster in the cable and the no-confidence motion against him in the National Assembly were interconnected. He said in his speeches that the NSC had endorsed the alleged conspiracy.