ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has decided to constitute an inquiry commission to probe the claims of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party leaders that their government was overthrown as the result of a “foreign conspiracy.”
Addressing a news conference, Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb announced the inquiry commission would be headed by an impartial, well-reputed person whose credibility could not be challenged.
“Truth must come out,” she said, adding the terms of reference (ToRs) of the commission would be presented before the upcoming cabinet meeting for a formal approval.
Marriyum said allegations by Imran Khan had caused irreparable harm to the country and it was decided in the larger interest of the country that an independent, impartial commission should find out what the truth is.
“Imran Khan’s allegations are an attempt to cause irreparable damage to the country,” she said.
Imran campaigning to protect his wife’s close friend
Marriyum also alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former Prime Minister was holding public rallies only to protect the corruption of Farah Khan – his wife’s close friend – who according to Marriyum was also Khan’s ‘front-woman.’
The minister claimed the PTI government facilitated the opening of around 34 bank accounts between 2018 and 2022, most of them in the name of Farah. “An amount of Rs870.4 million (Dh 17.126 million) was transferred into those accounts during the period.”
No commission acceptable except one headed by CJP While reacting to the government’s offer of forming a probe commission, former information minister and a close aide of Imran Khan Fawad Chaudhry rejected the offer saying his party would outrightly reject any commission that is formed under the present government’s control.
Earlier, too, Chaudhry had expressed his party’s opposition to formation of a ‘government-controlled’ commision.
“We reject Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to probe the letter-gate scandal as it is a vicious attempt to give himself an NRO,” he said. “The Supreme Court should form an independent commission to investigate the letter-gate scandal, headed by a person with a clean record,” said Fawad Chaudhry.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his first speech after getting a vote of confidence from the National Assembly of Pakistan last month on April 11 had promised that his government would launch an investigation into the threat letter controversy.
