PTI chief stands by ‘allegations sans proof’
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday seemed to corroborate accounts of his questioning by a joint investigation team (JIT) a day earlier, where he was unable to provide evidence to back up any of his allegations against a senior military official or top government figures, whom he accuses of orchestrating a plot to murder him.
The admission by the PTI chairman came after anchorperson Kamran Shahid posted on Twitter an account of what transpired during Mr Khan’s appearance before the JIT, which is probing the Wazirabad attack case.
Mr Shahid claimed that when asked by the JIT whether he had evidence against Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, Mr Khan said he did not have proof of his allegations.
“He owned all the video clips in which he accused the 3 most important officers [COAS, ISI chief, Gen Naseer] of Pakistan Army in the worst manner yet he failed to prove a single allegation,” the journalist said.
In response to the journalist’s claim, the PTI chairman said that he owned everything he said in the videos — an apparent reference to allegations he made against the top brass and the prime minister, accusing them of being behind the plot against his life.
“Question is, how can I provide evidence when I could not register an FIR against Gen Faisal Naseer who I know was not only behind the plot to assassinate me (along with Rana Sanaullah and Shehbaz Sharif) but also in the cover-up that followed where he sabotaged the JIT report which had concluded that three shooters were involved,” said Imran Khan as he doubled down on allegations.
He said he would be able to prove his allegations if there was an independent probe. “However, were there to be an independent investigation, I would prove that he has been involved in the worst crimes against our citizens.”
Reacting to this, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a presser on Tuesday that it had been proven that the PTI chief had levelled baseless allegations against the prime minister, himself and the army chief.
Mr Sanaullah said that Mr Khan was asked to produce proof but the JIT, but he failed to present any evidence.
PTI seeks accountability
Meanwhile, the PTI condemned what it called the “leakage” of JIT proceedings to media houses after the PTI chief attended its proceedings on June 12 in Islamabad. The party called for an investigation to identify and hold people who were involved in the attack on Imran Khan accountable.
“We call upon media to refrain from transmitting, publishing and airing of the content released through dubious and unverified sources which lack veracity and legal value and aimed primarily to contaminate public opinion, mislead the nation and impact the case adversely at the stage of investigation,” the PTI statement said.
Iftikhar A. Khan also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2023