Daily Times

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday said that the “bundle package of bail” given to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan conveyed a message that he was above the law and the judicial system.

In a tweet, without naming Imran Khan, she said the “terrorist” who attacked police, the judicial system, and the state “got a bundle package of bail.”

The minister said it was a message for those who were attacked and got injured in the line of duty that “the foreign agent, Toshakhana watch thief” was above the law and the justice system. She said that “terrorist Imran” had not thrown petrol bombs at the personnel of police and rangers but at the court orders.

Meanwhile, at a press conference, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that all state institutions were responsible for the establishment of the writ of the government. Allowing the accused to come to courts with crowds would give a message that the justice system and law in Pakistan were afraid of terrorists, thugs, goons, threats and abuses, she said.

Stating that Imran’s antics were giving the wrong message that powerful people were above the law, the minister said that Imran Khan was not afraid of playing with national interests, hatching conspiracies and blatantly violating the law and the Constitution.

The minister questioned whether the justice system was “afraid of terrorists and petrol bombs”. “When a Ladla (a darling), a hooligan, a scoundrel comes to courts like this and he gets a bundle relief package from the court, it gives the wrong message,” she maintained.

She said that Imran Khan illegally dissolved the National Assembly fearing the success of the no-confidence motion by compelling the President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker National Assembly to violate the Constitution.

The minister said Imran Khan had brainwashed the youth and has been instigating them to attack the state and national institutions.

She lamented that “a thief, a terrorist and corrupt person” was still at large. She reminded that Imran Khan has not appeared in this case since the start of its hearing in the Election Commission of Pakistan from 18 August 2022. The minister said that on August 18, August 21, 2022, January 31, 2023, February 7, 2023, Imran Khan did not appear in the Islamabad High Court. On January 31, when Imran Khan was to be indicted, he got exemption from personal appearance. She said that he did not appear in Islamabad High Court on March 9,2023 and he got relief from there too.

On March 13, again he did not appear in the court again and the session court issued his non-bailable warrants and the police was ordered to arrest Imran Khan and present him in the court where he was to be charge sheeted.

She rebutted Imran’s statements in the foreign media in which he had claimed that he had been given bail by the court. The minister termed Imran a habitual lier who gives excuses of his old age and health problems.

Rejecting Imran’s claim about bail in Toshakhana case, she said if he had bail why he presented the excuse of disability and disease and why he did not show the police personnel the bail orders who had come to arrest him. She also questioned why Imran gave the undertaking if he had secured bail.

She said that today, Imran Khan was going to Islamabad with gangs of goons armedwith batons and weapons. “Popular political parties do not need people from banned organizations to protect them,” she remarked.

She said this person was involved in hitting the policemen and attacking police vans with petrol bombs but he was not given punishment. The minister said if such a person gets relief from the court, then the state loses its importance. She said that one court orders that he should be arrested and produced in the court, the other court provides relief to him. This person, she added had blown up the court orders in the air as the police had gone to Zaman Park to implement the court orders of his arrest.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that tens of thousands of citizens of Pakistan stand in queues in hope of justice from courts every morning carrying files of pending cases for years. In contrast, she said Imran Khan goes to the courts for bullying and gets relief.