Erstwhile tribal areas: Mazari again raises objections over visit of US envoy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shireen Mazari on Tuesday once again raised objections over the recent visit of US Ambassador Donald Blome to the erstwhile tribal areas, saying under which agreement he was given access to visit the sensitive area.

Speaking at a presser, she said that “you have given a free run to an ambassador – Donald Blome – where he reviews everything via a plane and under which agreement as this facility is not available to our ambassadors in his country”.

“Our ambassadors cannot visit such sensitive areas in their country…our envoys couldn’t even meet their president [the US president] but here an ambassador can meet anyone he wishes,” she lamented.

However, Mazari said that the US ambassador meets with the officials of both federal and provincial governments to strengthen the country-to-country framework for socioeconomic relations, adding our ambassadors also meet their officials which is a routine matter.

“The point I’m trying to make here is that under which security agreement the US ambassador visit the sensitive areas while no Pakistani envoy can go to the sensitive areas in their country,” she questioned.

She also said that the PTI had “raised objection over US role in the regime change conspiracy as we never demanded to send the US ambassador from Pakistan”.

She also claimed that when Imran Khan was prime minister, he had given clear instructions no ambassadors should be allowed to meet with the prime minister as there are certain protocols to meet the chief executive of the country.

“The CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] chief had come to Pakistan and the then prime minister Imran Khan refused to meet him. He was told to see ISI DG, and the same was the rule for the ambassadors, they were not allowed to see the prime minister as they should meet the foreign minister and the foreign secretary because there is a protocol to meet the prime minister,” she added.

About the PTI’s prohibited funding case, she said that “it is becoming clearer that the Election Commission of Pakistan is biased as the Chief Election Commissioner [CEC] is making decisions out of his jurisdiction”.

“The CEC is working under a political agenda,” she added. Mazari contended that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cannot probe any prohibited funding case, adding under which authority is the FIA asking for records.

“The FIA cannot do that […] seeking such information does not fall within the FIA’s jurisdiction and is against the law,” she added.

She went on to say that the Supreme Court had directed the ECP to look into allegations of prohibited funding against all the parties.

“But instead of complying with the apex court’s orders, the ECP adjourned the hearing on the PTI’s plea for a month."

She said that the ECP did not even serve a notice to the party and when asked about it, it said the notice was on its official website but it was not there.

About Shahbaz Gill, she asked why, when the PTI leader gave remarks over a landline, are the police demanding access to his mobile phone.

“If Gill has violated any law then make a case against him. They cannot detain a person and torture him at an unknown place,” she said, adding that Gill had torture marks on his body and he was kept thirsty and awake.

She went on to say that a bid was made to torture Gill after shifting him to PIMS hospital from Adiala Jail.

Taking a jibe at Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, she said: “We are not afraid of you as we are fighting the war for haqiqi azadi [real freedom]”.

She also condemned the detention of the wife of Gill's driver.

She also demanded that sedition cases should also be registered against Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Asif Zardari, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Khawaja Asif as their statements were more alarming and dangerous than Gill’s.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022