News Analysis |
In the latest development, a case has been sent by Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services, Murad Saeed, on Wednesday, to the Prime Minister’s debt inquiry commission against the leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). This new development, has once again, clarified that the prime minister and his team are not stepping down from their commitment of punishing those involved in corruption and misuse of authority.
According to details, Federal Minister sent the case to the commission along with all documentary proofs, claiming that Iqbal has incurred a loss of approximately Rs50-70 billion to the national kitty.
Ahsan Iqbal is now due to face the inquiry and experts believe that the PML-N is likely to follow its traditional political strategy of fighting the legal battles on national TV rather in courts.
Well-placed sources confirmed that the inquiry commission has started investigating the case. The PML-N is viewing it as one more case of political victimization for being ‘the only’ party which speaks for civilian supremacy and the rule of law. These allegations by the PML-N are not new. Analysts believe that no factual counter-arguments are offered by the former ruling party, except some politically charged statements.
The minister has relayed that in 2013, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal signed a contract for the construction of the Multan-Sukkur motorway with the company of Javed Sadiq. As per the allegations of Saeed, Sadiq was placed as a front man by PML-N to embezzle the funds of the project.
Read more: Ahsan Iqbal ‘taken to task’ in LHC over anti-judiciary remarks
Recently, Ahsan Iqbal reportedly verbally attacked Saeed in the office of the speaker National Assembly over corresponding issues. According to Rauf Klasra, Ahsan Iqbal was not happy over the speeches made by Murad Saeed in the NA. He also added how Saeed’s insistence, that Iqbal was involved in corruption cases, annoyed the former federal minister.
Moreover, during his last press conference on June 13, the communication minister had announced to tighten the noose around Ahsan Iqbal. “The time has come for Ahsan Iqbal to worry,” he stated while vowing to eliminate corruption under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Inquiry Commission
Last month the PM announced to form a commission to probe into money laundering and corruption, which has taken place in the last 10 years. PM Khan said that “I’m making a high-powered enquiry commission with a one-point agenda: how did they raise the debt to Rs24,000bn in 10 years?”
A case has been sent by Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services, Murad Saeed, to the Prime Minister’s debt inquiry commission against the leader of PML-N.
He was alluding to the Pakistan People’s Party (2007-2013) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (2013-2018) tenures, which allegedly witnessed widespread malpractices. PM Khan also stated at the very outset that the country facing economic challenges today are due to wrong and self-centric economic policies of the previous governments. He repeatedly assured the nation that Pakistan is destined to become a great nation. “We will follow the footsteps of Prophet P.B.U.H and shall make this country great,” he said.
Read more: Ahsan Iqbal takes a subtle dig at Imran Khan
The former ruling parties, PPP and PML-N, are not happy over the formation of the commission. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, senior vice President of the PML-N, has denounced the commission on the assembly floor and questioned the presence of representatives of ISI and MI in the said body. The incumbent government has made it clear several times that no stone shall be unturned in its efforts to bring back the looted money to Pakistan.
There is a widely held perception that the PPP and PML-N have greatly damaged the economic system of the country, which now needs both careful attention and time to stable. PM Khan made it clear, in a rather emotional tone, that ‘I know what these thugs have done to my nation therefore I’ll never forgive them.’
Ahsan Iqbal is now due to face the inquiry and experts believe that the PML-N is likely to follow its traditional political strategy of fighting the legal battles on national TV rather in courts.