PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has expressed his distaste for political revenge as the incumbent PML-N government gears up to arrest PTI leader and former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin.
While talking to the media outside the Parliament House in Islamabad, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that he was not in favour of political revenge. He further said that if someone has committed a crime, action should be taken with evidence.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s stance is in contrast with his government’s which on Sunday, allowed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest Shaukat Tarin on charges of sedition for allegedly stalling talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“An inquiry against Shaukat Tarin has been completed and the government has allowed the FIA to arrest him,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said at a news conference in Karachi.
Read more: Shaukat Tarin reveals IMF and government deal
Last year, audio clips emerged in which the former finance minister Shaukat Tarin allegedly incited the then-provincial finance ministers of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives against the International Monetary Fund.
As a result, the federal government accused the PTI leadership of sabotaging Pakistan’s interests by deliberately pushing the country into default. Pertinent to mention that currently the government is engaged in talks with the IMF for unlocking the bailout funds which is proving to be difficult.
The government is ready to arrest Shaukat Tarin, a move which has widely been criticized, especially by PTI leaders.
“If someone says that the agreement with the IMF is wrong and we should prevent it from happening in every possible way, the question is how is it treason or rebellion? Accusing an honest and capable person like Shaukat Tarin of rebellion is ridiculous and sad, Pakistan has become a Banana Republic,” PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said, who himself was arrested on sedition charges recently.
اگر کوئ کہتا ہے کہ IMF سے معاہدہ غلط ہے اور ہمیں ہر ممکن طریقے سے اسے ہونے سے روکنا چاہئے سوال یہ ہے یہ غداری یا بغاوت کیسے ہے؟ شوکت ترین جیسے ایماندار اور قابل شخص پر بغاوت کا الزام مضحکہ خیز اور افسوسناک ہے، پاکستان Banana Republic بن گیا ہے https://t.co/r1Z3Ozsaby
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 13, 2023
On the other hand, media reports quote FIA sources as saying that the immediate arrest of Shaukat Tarin was not possible as he was out of the country since last month; however, people engaged in the investigation of the case would wait for his arrival in Pakistan.
Read more: Leaked audio fiasco: FIA summons Shaukat Tarin for investigation