Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday that PTI chairman Imran Khan had exploited the death of journalist Arshad Sharif,
who was killed in Kenya this week for political ends." I am not saying that anyone is involved in the murder. Still, if there is a committee and Imran has evidence, he should not hide this information This is also a crime," he said at a press conference in Sialkot. Sharif is reported to have been shot dead by local Kenyan police on Sunday evening. An official police statement said it "regrets this unfortunate incident" and has launched an investigation. Kenyan media initially reported that, according to local police, Sharif was shot by police because of a "suspicious identity". Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif subsequently appointed a judicial commission to investigate the murder. After the incident, Imran told a meeting of lawyers in Peshawar that Sharif had been the victim of a targeted assassination.
"He
never renounced the mafia. In all his broadcasts, he revealed evidence about
two families (Sharif and Zardari), but no one could intimidate or bribe
him..... Then he started getting threats from unknown people that if he started
exposing the regime, he would stop saying it or stop telling the
truth."Then he found out that they were going to kill him. So they broke
into his house and threatened him not to tell the truth in front of his
family," Imran said, adding that he then urged Sharif to leave the
country. Commenting on Imran's statement today, the defence minister said
Imran's information about Sharif's murder showed that he had "certain
facts" and asked the PTI chief to appear before the committee.
"Even
if he does not show up, he will be invited. I'm not even saying he's involved
in this murder, but time will tell who is guilty."Either he will appear
before the committee or remain silent," Asif said. Indian TV channels
welcomed Imran's remarks. The minister also said the Indian media had
"praised" Imran's anti-government comments recently. On Friday, after
embarking on a long trip to Islamabad, the PTI chief said from the rostrum that
the recent press conference by ISI intelligence chief Lieutenant General Nadeem
Ahmed Anjum was "more political than Sheikh Rashid". If he started
making such statements, it could damage the reputation of the state and the
army. Imran also asked two other army officers to play the "Dirty
Harry" role if Senator Azam Swat is arrested and tortured; the PTI chief
had a row with General Qamar Javed Bajwa and said these officers were damaging
the reputation of the institution.
Asif
criticised the former prime minister's allegations and said that despite their
differences, no head of state had crossed the line like Imran. Our army is one
of the best armies. However, our intelligence agencies, which are our first
line of defence, are ......... Imran says this is wrong. And India uses
everything he says as propaganda." This has given us an opportunity. Imran
works for precisely what he works for," the minister said, adding that the
agency wanted to remain "neutral". At the same time, the PTI chief
called them "animals".
"Soldiers defend the country, not politicians. Even politicians defend the country through bloodshed, but they do it with their lips. They are ungrateful. It has crossed many red lines. And now he has crossed the line of the blood of the martyrs" - he added."There are no talks." At a press conference, Asif also denied the reports of words between the government and the PTI.He pointed to "containerised" statements that the negotiations would take place in Lahore and television reports that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah would come to the talks. So far, no words have taken place," he said, adding that PTI MPs had asked the government to resign from Imran and get guarantees for their seats.
Asif
said he had underestimated the large PTI march and that only a few thousand
people would participate. He warned that since "98 per cent" of the
roads are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, the security of the marchers rests
with the governments of these two provinces. He added: "The last two per
cent of the roads are in Islamabad, so if there is bloodshed, these two governments
are responsible."
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