BANNU: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for claiming he was on death row when in fact he was in the “presidential suite”, which is better than a middle-class family home.
“You tell the West that you are facing problems and you are locked in death row. This death row is the ‘presidential suite’ in Adiala prison, which is better than a middle-class house,” Tarar said during a press conference in Islamabad.
Speaking to The Sunday Times through his lawyers, Imran claimed he had been put on death row where “terrorists” are kept to ensure they “don’t come into contact with anyone”.
The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail for almost a year in three cases – the Toshakhan case, the cipher case and the non-Islamic marriage case. His wife Bushra Bibi is also behind bars.
However, the court stayed his sentence in the Toshakhan case, while other courts overturned his conviction in the cipher and iddat cases.
Although there were hopes of his and Bushra’s release in July, they were dashed when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested them on new charges related to the sale of state gifts.
As Imran remains behind bars, he still claimed that he is not being provided with several facilities, but to set the record straight, the government has produced written evidence of providing facilities to the PTI founder in Adiala Jail, disproving his claim that he was detained. in solitary confinement.
Pictures shared with the court showed that the PTI founder had several facilities at his disposal that an ordinary prisoner could not imagine – because he is a former prime minister.
Imran has exercise bike and stretching belt for physical fitness, books, separate kitchen, special menu, exclusive walking gallery, LED, room cooler and study table.
In his press release, while referencing the interview, he reminded people how “dictator” Imran would treat his political opponents – regardless of their gender.
“[They knew] Shehbaz Sharif had pain in his back. Despite that, he was brought in in an armored car and pushed, and you can see it in the footage. Maryam Nawaz was in a 7×8 cell where she couldn’t even use a prayer mat properly, she wasn’t even allowed to walk.”
Recalling how former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was treated, Tarar said the wife of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president died while he was in jail. He claimed that the fire was lit with wood outside Rana Sanaullah’s jail cell in extremely hot weather.
“These are his words: ‘I will take down the air conditioner and the TV and I will not give you food, I will not allow them medicine or visitors,'” Tarar said, reminding people of what Imran would say about his plans for jailed PML-N leaders.
Responding to a question, Tarar said that his government does not want to persecute its political victims and that the authorities are also acting on Imran’s requests for ‘desi murghi’.
The Minister of Information on Saturday’s attack on the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, said that the Foreign Ministry had registered their protest with the German authorities.
“They have been told to ensure the security of the Pakistani mission and take action against those responsible for the security failure,” he added.
Tarar added that the chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has been tasked to review the footage of the attack and verify whether any Pakistani citizen was involved or whether only one nation was attacking.
Responding to a question about internet outages, Tarar claimed that internet services were disrupted in several countries and flights were also affected in the US.
“The government has nothing to do with it, it is an overall problem,” he said, adding that the IT ministry and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) would be briefed on cyber security.
He added that if the government were to install a firewall, it would be for data and cyber security, not to encroach on free speech. “That is to my knowledge.
According to the information minister, “some armed people from political parties including PTI” took part in the Aman (peace) march organized by Bannu traders and created chaos by resorting to fire on Friday near the Bannu Cantt wall where eight soldiers were martyred last week . .
One person was killed and 22 injured in a stampede after firing during a rally in Bannu on Friday, Tarar confirmed, adding that the victim was dead one kilometer from the Bannu Cantonment wall.
