Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has strongly condemned the arrest of Miftah Ismail, saying Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is bent upon political victimisation.
While talking to the media on Wednesday, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said there is a need to stop political victimisation at a time when the key issue of Kashmir is being discussed in the joint sitting of Parliament. He said govt's action is tantamount to break the unity which is need of the hour. "We cannot be pressed by using cheep practices and we firmly stand by our stance," he added.
The PML-N leader said former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail are being punished in wake of the installation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Pakistan. He said 5000 MW electricity at low price is being produced from the LNG power plants. People are being arrested who played their role for the development of Pakistan, he added.
He said Ismail gave best budget to the country, brought good tax reforms and gave relief for the first time to salaried persons.
He said not any officer is ready to work due to fear of arrest by National Accountability Bureau (NAB), adding that the investment cannot be promoted in this situation.
Ahsan said the NAB should make accountability across the board. He asked, "Why is the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) not proceeding the cases of foreign funding?"
About the Kashmir issue, he said, "We will not allow anybody to make bargaining on the issue of Kashmir. Today, the incompetent PTI government only gives lectures to the nation but it does not have any strategy on the issue."
PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said 'selected' Prime Minster Imran Khan by arresting Ismail gave a clear message to the business community not to work in the country. On one hand the government has announced development projects on the basis of public-private partnership while on the other, it is arresting businessmen, she wondered. It is clear message that those who will work with the government, would be punished as has been done with Ismail, she said.
She said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had overcome the gas shortage in the country through the LNG terminal. She said many days have been passed but despite having documents, the NAB could not prove any corruption in LNG deals. Today, the documents submitted in the court are only related to misuse of authority, she claimed.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said Ismail had been threatened to stop writing on the economy of the country; otherwise, he would be put behind the bars.
She said there was three percent inflation in the tenure of Ismail but now it has reached 13 percent, adding when Ismail was the finance minister, the GDP growth was 6 percent but now it is 2.5 percent. "You can lock up all the opposition leaders but you cannot put all the people behind the bars," she commented.
She said the people are in miserable conditions due to price hike in the country. She said that today all industries and businesses of the country are being closed down. "Today, media is being threatened and steps have been taken to weaken it financially. The PTI government changed the numbers of TV channels," she pointed out.
"Neither opposition nor the public will give any National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to Prime Minister Imran Khan," she said.
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