LAHORE: Prime Minis­ter Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan over an audio clip attributed to the former premier which purportedly implicated him in horse-trading — a practice of buying votes of lawmakers in exchange for money.

Speaking to reporters outside the court during his appearance in the money laundering case, the prime minister said that as per the audio clip Imran Khan confessed to his involvement in buying votes of lawmakers to defeat the no-confidence motion submitted against him. “He admitted to buying five votes,” PM Sharif said, adding that on the one hand, Imran Khan was issuing edicts against his opponents over alleged horse-trading without evidence, while on the other, he was indulging himself in the same practice. Imran Khan should be asked about the source of the money he used to buy these votes, he added.

PM Sharif said the former prime minister played with the foreign policy of Pakistan by launching a “false narrative of a conspiracy” against the incumbent government. He said Imran Khan told a lie every day and tried to isolate Pakistan at the international level.

In response to allegations of NRO levelled by Imran Khan, the prime minister called out the former premier for giving purported NROs to Farhat Shahzadi, a friend of Bushra Bibi, and Aleema Khan, sister of Imran Khan. PM Sharif also questioned the closures of investigations against the PTI chairman and his party leaders in the Malam Jabba, Peshawar metro bus, the billion trees project, and the helicopter cases.

Referring to a recent verdict of the Lahore High Court which absolved PML-Q leader and ally of Imran Khan Moonis Elahi of all charges, the premier questioned whether the court’s decision to quash the case against Mr Elahi was also an NRO. “I do not call it an NRO, but Imran Khan does,” he clarified.

He also rejected speculations that PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz was acquitted in the Avenfield case on the basis of the changes to the NAB law. Ms Nawaz was given clean chit in the case on merit, he added.

Court hearing

During the hearing, Shehbaz Sharif claimed he never withdrew his salary or claimed entitled travel allowances during his three tenures as the chief minister of Punjab. Referring to the suspected bank transaction of Rs2.5 million in the FIR, he quipped that if he never availed his rightful allowances which ran into millions then why would he need to launder a sum of Rs2.5 million.

The prime minister, however, was allowed to leave the courtroom.

His counsel Amjad Pervez continued his arguments on the acquittal pleas of Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in the money laundering case.

The lawyer argued that the FIA accused the father-son duo of receiving bribes and kickbacks in the FIR but withdrew the allegations in the challan filed before the court.

He compared the money laundering against the Sharifs to Moonis Elahi’s case which was dismissed earlier this month and said both cases pertained to allegations of operating bank accounts through other individuals. The PM’s lawyer said his clients could not be convicted in light of the record submitted in the court and added that the incumbent investigation officer had no role in the collection of the case record.

The investigation agency failed to link PM Sharif and his son to the bank accounts included in the challan, the lawyer said, adding that the officials of the said banks were not even on the list of the prosecution witnesses.

Special prosecutor Farooq Bajwa said the FIA did not include irrelevant people in the case which was proof of its bona fide.

Subsequently, Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan adjourned the hearing till Oct 11.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022