Daily Times

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Saturday said the Punjab Forensic Laboratory had not issued any report on an audio and video tape as nothing was sent to it for the purpose.

Speaking at a press conference here, she said a section of the media aired a report about the audio and video tape referring to the director general of the Punjab Forensic Laboratory. The report telecast on the media is the work of a ‘mafia of liars’ whose job was to create baseless stories, she added.

Dr Firdous said the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has its own arrangements and it will submit its report to the Supreme Court, which is looking into the issue of the tape. She said the video tape is some 16 years old, which has been tempered and reduced to five minutes with an aim to blackmail the judge. She strongly condemned the media campaign run from behind the scenes about the audio and video tape, and denied that any final report about it has been issued. “There is no reality in the things that are being said … the media reports are baseless and unfounded,” she stressed.

Dr Firdous says PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provided a level playing field to all political parties in merged tribal districts

The special assistant said during her appearance in the accountability court, Maryam Safdar made her dress part of a marketing campaign proving that she was devoid of political maturity. “The ‘party of liars’ is giving a new twist to the political situation and is giving an impression that its leadership is compelled to go for an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance),” she said. “The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is posing that it has such a high character and conscience that it is refusing to accept the NRO offered to it,” she said.

“Nobody will accept the present narrative of Maryam Safdar Awan as her party is misleading the people of Pakistan through false and poisonous propaganda. The party is playing with the nerves of the people,” she added. She said the PML-N is following the policy that lies should be told too much so that they seem to be true. “Maryam Safdar had lied on the Panama issue as she had been saying that she did not own a property and later she told lies about the Calibri font,” she reminded. “The father of Maryam had refused to acknowledge the deal signed by him, but later a Saudi prince came to Pakistan and showed an agreement, proving that the Sharifs are certified liars,” she said. “The Sharif family made the people fool, left them alone and went into exile with their suitcases to live a life of pleasure at Saroor Palace,” she recalled.

Dr Firdous said Ahsan Iqbal, nicknamed Arstu Khan, kept himself busy in building a sports stadium in the border area of Pakistan. “What happened there is before the nation as when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) called him and asked as to how he spent billions of rupees on the project for a specific purpose?,” she said. “Ahsan Iqbal does not have time to answer the questions of NAB about public procurement rules and the process of tendering but he has time to mislead people and pile up falsehood,” she said. “Now Ahsan says that as the report on audio and video tape is true, Nawaz Sharif should be released,” she added.

She warned that the PML-N wants to take away the rights of courts of Pakistan, NAB, FIA and other institutions as was happening in the past. “It is not acceptable to PML-N that the state institutions move forward independently to observe rule of law,” she said, adding, “The latest meeting of the PML-N is a sitting of liars, which formed a strategy on how to spread lies and subvert the reality.” Dr Firdous congratulated the people of Pakistan on the elections in the merged tribal districts. The tribal people showed solidarity with Pakistan and the elections are a victory for them as they have sacrificed a lot in the war against terrorism, she added.

She said free, fair and transparent elections were held in the tribal districts. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, provided a level playing field to all the political parties, she added.

The special assistant lauded the armed forces, civilian institutions and proud tribesmen on the holding of elections. Peace in the border areas has been established with the sacrifices of the people, she added, and was hopeful that sustainable peace will be established in the region due to elections which will politically and economically empower the people as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.