Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister of information, broadcasting, and national heritage Pervaiz Rashid said on Friday that it was the establishment mentality that had done everything and that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was just a pawn.

Talking to a private TV channel, Pervaiz Rashid said that he had rendered a sacrifice in the Dawn leaks episode for democracy and against terrorism.

“Won’t take the name of the institution but certain individuals were involved in conspiring against us,” he said.

Rashid said that Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf’s spirit still resided in certain politicians and institutions, which had taken part in a conspiracy against the government. He said that Musharraf had not been sent abroad on the government’s behest but it could not stop him either.

“Other institutions did not help us in stopping Musharraf,” he said. “Lots of decisions are taken collectively.”

Pervaiz Rashid said that earlier, prime ministers used to go home silently. He stated that now that would not be the case.

“Decisions were taken against us despite the presence of the Interior Ministry,” he said. “A lot happened despite the existence of our government,” he added.

This is the first time that Pervaiz Rashid has shed light on the Dawn leaks saga after he was sacked by the former prime minister following a probe into the controversy.

When asked to comment on the fact that he was sacked by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Rashid said that he would speak on the issue some other day. “We can talk about this another day. This is not a big issue,” he said. “I am a political worker and have played that role in the past as well. Truth comes out into the open with the passage of time,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, August 19^th 2017.