ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has made a significant statement, hinting that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) might face a military trial. Speaking on a private news channel’s talk show, the defense minister stated that the PTI has to apologize to the nation for the May 09 events, otherwise, there will be no talks.
Khawaja Asif highlighted that during the PTI regime, a total of 24 civilian cases trailed in the military court, and out of these 24 cases many were sentenced to death. He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had extended offers for dialogue to the PTI founder three times, however, the current conditions are right for such ‘negotiations’. In a recent interview, Khawaja Asif stated that if the PTI founder is tried in a military court, it will be an open trial. Speaking at a private news channel, Khawaja Asif said that an open trial is vital to expose ‘negative’ designs of the PTI founder. He said that PTI found ‘involved’ in the attack on national institutions on May 9.
“The nation must know about the sinister designs of PTI against the security institutions. If former PM’s case refers to a military court then open trial is necessary to tell the public about PTI’s leader,” he said. Khawaja Asif added that the relationship between PTI founder and former ISI chief Faiz Hameed continued even after May 9 “The two (PTI founder and Faiz Hameed) had a common goal, which is why they had a relationship,” he added.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif refuted media reports about a PML-N meeting in which Nawaz Sharif reportedly directed his party to hold talks with all political parties, including the PTI, to salvage the country from the prevailing crises.
“Nawaz Sharif did not even discuss politics at the meeting, let alone offer an olive branch to the opposition party,” Asif said.
He said that neither any such discussion took place in the meeting nor the PML-N president gave instructions in this regard. “We concentrated on two topics only during the meeting, one on holding local bodies elections in Punjab and the other on bringing down electricity prices,” he said. Asif also said that unless the PTI apologised for the May 9 violent incidents, there would be no room for progress in the negotiations with them.
“Accountability of the May 9 incidents should be held 200%,” he said.
He further maintained that the opposition party directly or indirectly expressing desire for negotiations was devoid of sincerity. The minister, while pointing towards PTI founder Imran Khan’s erratic behavior, said even PTI members did not trust Khan and lamented about his egoistic and opportunistic attitude. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he added, offered the PTI to hold talks multiple times.
Khwaja Asif that the premier had even proposed the Imran Khan-founded party to sign a charter of economy. However, neither the PTI founder nor any of his ministers responded to the proposal, he revealed.
“The PTI founder (then PM) sat turning his back towards the opposition with arrogance,” he said, stressing how his camaraderie with former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed was on peak at the time. –Agencies
