SIALKOT: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif criticized the former chief justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, over recent audio leaks, which he said have exposed the former judge’s enmity with Nawaz Sharif, the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Asif lambasted Nisar for going too far in his enmity with Sharif, noting that there was no greater honor than the chief justice for the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference in Sialkot, Asif also criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, saying that staying away from power is eating up Imran from within.
The leaks, he said, have not only exposed the former chief justice but also the PTI leadership. The defence minister pointed out that the judiciary’s job was to make decisions as per the Constitution and the law, not hold a panchayat.
Khawaja Asif says people are waiting for justice
Asif further stated that over 51,000 cases were still pending in the Supreme Court, and the people of Pakistan were still waiting for justice.
A day earlier, an alleged audio leak of Saqib Nisar’s son Najam Saqib and PTI ticket holder Abuzar emerged online. In the first part of the audio, Najam Saqib and PTI ticket-holder Abuzar Chaddhar can be heard talking about party tickets while the second part comprises a call recording between Najam Saqib and Mian Uzair.
In the leaked audio, Najam Saqib can be heard asking the Abuzar to meet his father and say thanks to him. He said that his father will be back by 11:00 pm. In the second audio clip, a voice said to be of Najam Saqib asked the other person to check his WhatsApp.
Mian Uzair, who was allegedly on the other side of the phone in audio, while referring to a message, said this was sent to you by Abuzar Chaddhar. Najam Saqib said he is also a lawyer and asked what is the scene. To which Uzair said he would take this up.
Asif also criticized PTI Chairman Imran Khan, blaming him for the crises the country is currently facing, alleging that the former premier had fixed a rate list for party tickets.
He further alleged that Khan and his facilitators oppressed Nawaz Sharif and his family beyond limits. The minister severely criticized the PTI chairman, saying that the former ruling party has got new facilitators.
Asif claimed that Nisar admitted on TV about his son’s recent audio leak and held Khan responsible for the crises the country is faced with today. He further claimed that the masses would be provided relief in the upcoming budget in June and that the government had fulfilled all the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “Now, we have to see whether the IMF fulfills its commitments or not,” he added.
The defense minister’s comments come amid growing tensions between the PML-N and PTI, which have been embroiled in a bitter political rivalry since the 2018 general elections. The PML-N has accused the PTI of rigging the polls and targeting its leaders and workers in the name of accountability.
Meanwhile, the PTI has accused the PML-N of corruption and mismanagement during its tenure in power.
