ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said he was ready to extend a helping hand to the government to fix the country’s crumbling economy while demanding an end to the victimization of his opposition Pakistan Peoples Party party through what he said was selective and politically motivated accountability.
Zardari, the widower of the assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, addressed the National Assembly for the first time after his arrest on money laundering charges by an anti-corruption watchdog on June 10.
“Let us sit together to talk about an economic policy,” the former president said on the floor of the house while the budget for fiscal year to June 2020 was being debated, adding that governments “keep changing, but let us make an economic policy that withstands all these changes.”
Participating in the budget debate, Zardari advised the government to “stop accountability” and move forward.
“My arrest doesn’t make any difference [to my party], but the average Pakistani is scared that if Mr. Zardari can be arrested, what will happen to him,” he said.
Reacting to Zardari’s statement, former finance minister of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party Asad Umar said accountability for political reasons was “neither good for the country nor for the person doing it.”
However, he added that it was the constitutional responsibility of parliament to hold criminals and corrupt elements accountable.
“If someone has stolen the country’s money, then there must be a system of reward and punishment for it. There is no politics in it,” Umar said.
Following a week of ruckus in the National Assembly, opposition parties and the government agreed on Wednesday not to disrupt the debate on the proposed federal budget presented by the PTI government on June 11.
“We completely reject this budget [which is like] a sword slitting the common man’s throat,” Shehbaz Sharif, leader of opposition in the National Assembly, said on Wednesday in a three-hour-long speech.
The federal budget is expected to be approved by the National Assembly next week.
Ex-president Zardari says willing to help government fix ailing economy
Ex-president Zardari says willing to help government fix ailing economy
- Addresses Pakistan’s National Assembly for first time since his arrest on money laundering charges on June 10
- The federal budget is expected to be approved by parliament next week
Pakistan bans ex-PM Khan’s sister from meeting him for allegedly violating prison rules
- Pakistan information minister accuses Khanum of discussing political matters with brother, instigating masses against state
- Uzma Khanum met her brother, ex-PM Khan, on Tuesday in Adiala Jail where he remains incarcerated on slew of charges
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Thursday that the government will not allow former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister to meet him anymore, accusing her of violating prison rules by indulging in political discussions during her visits.
Khan’s sisters, Uzma Khanum and Aleema Khanum, met him at the Adiala Prison on Tuesday after being allowed by the authorities to do so. The former prime minister’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and family members accused authorities of illegally denying them permission to visit the incarcerated leader in jail.
Khan’s sisters had spoken to local and international media outlets last month, voicing concern over his safety as rumors of his death started doing the rounds on social media. However, Khanum quashed the rumors on Tuesday when she said her brother was “in good health” after meeting him.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Tarar accused Khanum and the former premier’s other sisters of attempting to create a “law and order situation” outside Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi. He alleged Khanum had partaken in political discussions with her brother, which was in violation of prison rules.
“As per the rules, there is no room for political discussions, and it has been reported that political talk did take place, hence Uzma Khanum’s meetings have been banned from today,” Tarar said.
The minister said Khan’s meetings with his sisters took place in the presence of the jail superintendent, alleging that discussions revolved around instigating the masses and on political matters.
“Based on these violations, under any circumstances, the rules and code of conduct do not allow meetings to take place,” the minister said. “You were given a chance. Whoever violated [the rules] their meetings have been banned.”
This is what one gets for peacefully protesting. No criticism of the govt or The Army chief otherwise we can’t meet imran khan
Khan’s aide, Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, criticized the information minister’s announcement.
“This is what one gets for peacefully protesting,” Bukhari said in a text message shared with media. “No criticism of the govt or the army chief otherwise we can’t meet Imran Khan.”
Khan, who has been jailed on a slew of charges since August 2023, denies any wrongdoing and says cases against him are politically motivated to keep him and his party away from power. Pakistan’s government rejects the PTI’s claims he is being denied basic human rights in prison.
Ousted from the prime minister’s office via a parliamentary vote in April 2022, Khan and his party have long campaigned against the military and government. He has accused the generals of ousting him together with his rivals. Khan’s opponents deny this, while the military says it does not meddle in politics.
