Daily Times

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that Imran Khan had always insulted the judiciary and never followed the law.

In an interview with Sky News, she said Imran Khan considered himself an “untouchable” who was above the law and no one could question him.

The minister said that Imran Khan should be treated like an ordinary citizen of Pakistan.

She said that there were allegations of corruption against Imran Khan and his arrest by the NAB was in accordance with the law and the government had nothing to do with it. To a question, the federal information minister said that the government did not believe in political revenge and victimization. “If we wanted to arrest him or silence him … we would not have waited 14 months,” she said.

In response to the question regarding the disqualification of Imran Khan, the minister said why would the government want to disqualify him. Why would any democratic government do this, she remarked.

However, she said Imran Khan during his tenure arrested political leaders, put them in jails and tried to silence their voices.

To another question, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that after the issuance of a court order, it was his constitutional right to review or discuss the order.

The minister said that no peaceful citizen was on the streets during the last three days, only armed groups and terrorists were taken to streets who damaged state and public property.

Meanwhile, Marriyum Aurangzeb denied rumours of a possible emergency being enforced in the country, calling on the media to verify information before sharing it.

In a statement, she said that there had been no decision made in the cabinet meeting regarding the enforcement of emergency. She urged the media to avoid spreading rumours that could cause unnecessary panic among the public.

It was earlier reported in the media that several cabinet members had suggested the immediate enforcement of emergency to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The government of Pakistan has not declared an emergency since 2007, when former President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule, suspending the constitution and arresting thousands of political opponents.

The move was widely criticized by the international community and led to a significant decline in Pakistan’s democratic institutions.