Daily Times

MULTAN: Political stalwart and former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Javed Hashmi on Wednesday claimed that he was aware of a plot to take down Nawaz Sharif’s government.

“PTI Chairman Imran Khan had said that after former CJP Tasadduq Hussain Jilani’s tenure would end, the incoming CJP would break the government and Parliament,” Hashmi told a press conference in Multan, adding, “I told Imran this would be martial law, but he claimed that it wouldn’t be martial law because the Supreme Court judges would be doing it.”

“Rigging was the issue earlier, but now it is Panamagate since Imran had to create some form of ruckus. He wanted to topple the government in three months. I told him you cannot do this,” Hashmi claimed, adding that ‘someone else’ had saved Nawaz Sharif’s government from being toppled.

Hashmi, who has also been a member of the PML-N, believes the Panama Papers probe appears to be a ploy which seeks to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from power, rather than a way to hold him accountable. The senior politician also expressed his reservations over the lack of accountability of judges and army. “I don’t say that there shouldn’t be accountability. In fact, I’m the first one who raised this issue. But my question is why just Nawaz Sharif?” he said. “Why aren’t judges held accountable? The politicians are regularly criticised and accused of corruption. But why doesn’t the same accountability apply to the military?” he questioned. “Has any judge been punished? Why are judges not caught for their wrongdoings?” he further asked. “Is this justice?”

Pointing out that he had spent 50 years in politics, Hashmi maintained that this could be the last press conference of political career.

Published in Daily Times, July 13^th , 2017.