F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Friday said that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) should be formulated with consensus to investigate the firing incident on Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan at Wazirabad.
Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that JIT should include well-reputed officers from the federal and provincial agencies, investigating withing a set time-frame and share all the facts with the nation. While rejecting the possible formation of one sided JIT, Saad Rafique said that the JIT should have authority to investigate from anyone including Imran Khan and no interference should be made during the investigation process.
The minister said that all the political leadership not only strongly condemned the incident of firing but also prayed for the swift recovery of all wounded persons including Imran Khan. Saad Rafique said that the PML-N had no enmity with Imran Khan as there were only some political differences between both parties.
Hatred in any form should be condemned by all of us, he added. The minister expressed shock over the reaction of the PTI leadership in the wake of the firing incident. There should be no politicking over such incidents which could lead to chaos and anarchy, he said.
He said the Punjab government had not taken required measures despite the constant warnings from the federal and provincial law enforcement agencies regarding the security of Imran Khan’s life. The minister said where were the security, police and administration of the provincial government when the incident took place. He said one of the Senators of PTI had also given statement that he already had information regarding a planned attack on Imran Khan.
He also had conveyed it to the local leadership of PTI in Wazirabad. Saad Rafique said the PTI leaders should use bullet proof dice and glass to address the gathering to ensure their protection. It was beyond understanding that who had stopped the PTI from taking the precautionary measures.
The minister said it was very unfortunate that the PTI leadership started blaming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Minister for Interior Rana Sana Ullah and a high ranked army officer after the attack on Imran Khan. He condemned mob attack on the houses of Rana Sana Ullah at Faislabad and other important state buildings. The minister alleged the PTI was bent upon creating chaos and anarchy in the country in the name of politics which was highly condemnable, adding all the political forces of the country were united to foil these nefarious designs.
“We can easily say that the long march has been failed,” he said and casted doubts on the involvement of the PTI’s own people in the incident. Citing Benazir Bhutto martyrdom as example, he said Asif Ali Zardari raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khapay’, but ironically, three leaders of the PTI started instigating the masses after the attack. He condemned the PTI’s smear campaign against the state institutions on the social media sites.
Red lines should not be crossed as the Pakistan Army had been rendering sacrifices for the protection of the motherland, he asserted. The minister said the PTI supported only those decisions and steps of the institutions which were in their favour, but resorted to maligning them if something went otherwise. He said the name calling of the heads of the institutions was a condemnable act of the PTI leadership and should be discouraged at all level.
The political landscape had been changed as the state institutions were working within their constitutional domains. The minister said the politics should be done over the principles. “We were barred from seeing Imran Khan when he fell from the stage during his 2013 election rally,” he said.
He said the PTI worker, who prevented the assassination of Imran Khan, should be given security as he would be playing critical role in completion of the investigation into the incident. The minister said the accused should also be given security in order to prevent his coerced statement during the Punjab police custody. Saad Rafique said China had agreed to provide Pakistan with latest meteorological equipment to effectively forecast the environmental changes and natural calamities.
He said several agreements were reached during the visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China. The minister said China had not only expressed readiness to complete the ML-I railway project but also in upgrading Pakistan’s meteorological warning systems with the help of Chinese experts to prevent and tackle natural disasters by timely alerts.
