The federal government was neither on board nor had any information about the treason cases being registered against the Sharif family, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary said on Monday in Hard Talk Pakistan with Dr. Moeed Pirzada aired by the 92 News channel.
GVS spoke to various reliable sources in the Punjab government and has learned that the case filed against Nawaz Sharif is another attempt to present him as a revolutionary who stood up for the cause of democracy, as Fawad claimed in the talk-show.
Fawad also told the anchor that “Prime Minister Imran Khan was also surprised after he came to know about this bizarre move”. “They are corrupt who misused authority for personal benefits. Why would we like them to become rebels and become political heroes?” questioned Fawad.
وزیر اعظم کو اس FIR کا کوئ علم نہیں تھا جب میں ان کے علم میں لایا کہ اس طرح ایک FIR ہوئ ہے جس میں نواز شریف اور دیگر لوگوں کو نامزد کیا گیا ہے انھوں نے شدید ناپسندیدگی کا ااظہار کیا ، ہو سکتا ہے کسی نے کاروائ ڈالنے کیلئے ایسا کیا ہو دیکھتے ہیں۔ https://t.co/uZYnwX2FCR
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 5, 2020
Notably, former premier Nawaz Sharif has been booked on treason charges. As per details, some senior leaders of the former ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have also been booked on the same charges. The case was registered at the ‘PS Shahdara’ on the complaint of a local citizen, Badar Rasheed. PML-N’s vice-President, Maryam Nawaz, former prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Former federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Pervez Rasheed, Khawaja and Rana Sanaullah were also named in the case.
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Sharif and other PML-N leaders are deliberately defaming the state institutions and carrying out hate speeches, the FIR reads. The FIR further states that Nawaz has conspired against Pakistan’s prestigious institutions by making provocative speeches while being in London. The purpose of those speeches is to declare Pakistan a ‘state of hooligans’, the FIR claims.
Is Badar Rasheed another Judge Arshad Malik?
GVS learned from some sources that Badar Rasheed has been a member of the PML-N in the past. “He was probably given the task to pave the way for Nawaz to come out of corruption cases, and appear as a hero after a bogus FIR registered against him,” the source said. Such reports become more important while remembering the case of former judge Arshad Malik.
Badar Rasheed is former PMLN worker. I think, he has lodged FIR against PMLN leader at their behest so that PMLN can malign PTI and Army.
— Ali Raza (@AliRazaTweets) October 5, 2020
On July 10, 2018, Judge Bashir was due to resume hearing in the Al-Azizia reference but Nawaz’s counsel urged him to recuse himself from the trial proceedings in the Al-Azizia and Flagship references pending before the same judge.
The case was then sent to Judge Arshad Malik, the only other judge available to hear the case. He was serving as “Sessions Judge” in Punjab and was transferred by the federal ministry of law to serve as Accountability Judge. Many political analysts find the sequence of events very strange.
Judge Malik appeared to be a suspicious character for various reasons. His personal and social circle reflected his close association with PML-N workers. Nasir Butt, a local leader of the party who later recorded a controversial video, was said to be a close friend of the judge. In a video that rose to fame later, Judge Arshad Malik was found making confessions that he convicted Nawaz Sharif under pressure. But Judge Malik’s viral photos also confirmed his meeting with Nawaz’s son – Hussain Nawaz – in Saudi Arabia.
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Judge Arshad Malik later officially admitted that he met Hussain Nawaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia. “I met Hussain Nawaz Sharif at Oberoi Hotel, Madina Munawwara,” confirmed Judge Arshad Malik in his written response submitted with the investigation team of the FIA.
“Nawaz knows how the system works”
GVS spoke to some reliable sources to confirm as to who exactly was behind the case filed against Nawaz and other leaders of the party. “This has clearly done by someone at a lower level who might have links with the Sharif family. As a matter of fact, Sharifs have more control over local bureaucracy and district administration that the current government,” said a senior bureaucrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The officer also added that officers generally follow instructions received by Sharifs due to the perception that PM Khan may not be around longer, and the power may again be ‘given’ to PML-N or PPP.
Dr. Moeed Pirzada analyzed the development in his latest Vlog and maintained that this move seems to benefit the PML-N. “Nawaz and his party are using the development as a tool to manipulate narrative against them,” he said. Dr. Pirzada also questioned the possibility of registering an FIR without proper prior investigation into the matter “An SHO or an ASI could decide whether the FIR on the charges of high treason can be registered or not?” he asked.
M. Pitafi, a Lahore-based academic, told GVS that Nawaz knows how this works. “You cannot defeat Nawaz easily. He has deep penetration in this system. See, how he played it out and emerged as a leader or a revolutionary with an agenda to lead the nation from the front,” he said.