LAHORE: The Punjab government has offered to take responsibility for American businessman Mansoor Ijaz’s security provided the judicial commission investigating the memo case holds its hearing in Lahore.

Talking to reporters outside the Punjab Assembly here on Monday, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the provincial government was ready to provide security to Mr Ijaz on the directions of the Supreme Court if the judicial commission met in Lahore.

He alleged that Mr Ijaz had been barred by the accused party (the government) from visiting Pakistan to record his statement, a step he said was tantamount to obstructing the course of justice.

In reply to a question about a large number of political figures joining the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, he said Imran Khan was staging a drama as on one hand the PTI chief spoke against drone attacks, on the other he had accepted into his party Khursheed Kasuri who as foreign minister had allegedly struck an accord with the US over the use of drones in Pakistan.