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LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry has said that a new leader of the opposition in the National Assembly from his party should be notified before the National Accountability Bureau’s new chairman is chosen (NAB).
Fawad insisted that because the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the notification of PTI lawmakers, the opposition leader in NA be chosen from the party.
As a result, he demanded that the head of the anti-graft body be appointed only after thorough consultation with the opposition leader.
The former federal minister noted that the current leader of the opposition, Raja Riaz – a disgruntled PTI legislator – lacked the credentials for the process as “everyone knows he was a turncoat”.
It would be unacceptable if the NAB chief was appointed without Riaz’s approval, he added.
He went on to say that if a PTI parliamentarian was consulted on the matter, PTI would go to court and that NAB Chairman Aftab Sultan resigned because of “pressure to lodge fake cases” against the government’s opponents.
He claimed that an organized campaign against the judges had begun. “The PML-N has launched a campaign against five judges involved in the Panama case,” he claimed, adding that Supreme Court of Pakistan should take notice.
He went on to say that PTI wants to strengthen the country’s judicial system.
He revealed that PTI has decided that they will appear in court whenever the court summons them. “I’m not sure why the judges thought summoning Imran to court was necessary. “However, the former premier appeared for the hearing out of respect for the judiciary,” he added.
He did, however, criticize the authorities for failing to make arrangements for PTI chief’s visit to the LHC.
“On the occasion of PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s appearance before the bench, the high court made history. The people of Lahore showered Imran with love.”
In response to PTI’s ‘jail bharo’ (volunteer arrest) movement, he stated that it would begin on Wednesday (today) and would be based on peaceful protests.
He thanked the government for imposing Section 144 (on the city’s few roads) and stated that thousands of people would protest on Mall Road tomorrow. “Our only demand is for snap elections,” he added.
On this occasion, PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudhry stated that the movement was PTI’s next political plan and that approximately 200 leaders and workers would surrender to the authorities.
“This was also a protest against inflation, and arrests would be made in other cities after Lahore,” he explained.
PTI contacts NA speaker
In a related development, PTI wrote a letter to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf seeking to reclaim the key position following the resignation of the NAB head.
On the instruction of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, PTI Chief Whip in the National Assembly Malik Aamir Dogar submitted the letter to the National Assembly Secretariat.
The letter stated, citing the LHC verdict, that PTI was the largest opposition party in the national legislature. As a result, the opposition leader must be a member of the same party.
According to NAB law, the appointment of a new chairman must also take place after consultation between the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition.
As a result, the replacement of NAB’s former chairman, Aftab Sultan, must be finalized after consultation with PTI-nominated new opposition leader.
