Marriyum Asks Imran To Wait For SC Verdict On Panama Papers

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 02nd Nov, 2016 ) : Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb Wednesday said the matter of Panama papers was in Supreme Court and Imran Khan should wait for decision of the court.

Speaking in a tv programme, she said the name of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not mentioned in the Panama Papers. Not a single case of corruption had surfaced during the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) government neither at the Centre nor in Punjab, she added.

The minister said terms of reference (ToR) of the opposition were person specific and only focused on the Prime Minister. Even the opposition was divided on the issue of ToR, she added. She said Imran Khan used inappropriate language against everybody in his speeches.

Imran Khan gave a call for lockdown of Islamabad but the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) stayed indoors and did not come out, she said. Imran Khan should wait for the general election in 2018.

The minister said the politics of Imran Khan was rejected by the people, adding protest and chaos were two very different things. Referring to PTI's decision to take back call of lockdown, she said it was a victory of Pakistan and should not be taken as a win or loss of anybody.

She said nobody was stopped from holding public meetings and whenever, anybody asked for permission, it was granted. She said opposition had an important role in democracy and Pakistan Peoples Party was a democratic party and would not support any step against the system.

The politics of 1990s had been left behind by major political parties, but Imran Khan was doing that kind of politics, she added.

But "we want politics of tolerance and patience." She said legislation should be undertaken by parties in the Parliament to curb corruption.

She said opposition should indulge in positive criticism. Those who talked about "search" should be shameful because of the things recovered from them, she added. Marriyum asked opposition to play its role for strengthening democracy.

People held their leaders accountable as they were the best judge for that purpose, she added. She said the prime minister upheld high values and Imran Khan should take a lesson from him to show patience and tolerance.

The minister said the prime minister wanted consensus on all the national issues. She referred to Operation Zarb-e-Azb, Karachi operation and National Action Plan as measures in which national consensus was sought.

The minister said the four demands of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would be discussed in the Parliament. She thanked the Prime Minister for appointing her as Minister of State and said she would do her best to fulfil the responsibilities assigned to her.

She urged media to show responsibility and avoid spreading sensationalism. The minister said armed forces and all other institutions of the country were respectable and the sacrifices made by the security personnel were held in high regard.

She said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself was a Kashmiri and felt pain of the brethern in Indian Held Kashmir. She said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif believed in a peaceful neighbourhood, adding India should stop human rights violations in the held valley. APP/mnr-san/azm/ihn