ISLAMABAD: Chairman Tehrik-i-Insaaf Imran Khan has said that the revelations coming out in Arsalan Iftikhar case clearly show a deliberate attempt to undermine the Supreme Court.
In a statement, the PTI chief said that the sequence of events clearly shows that the target of the entire conspiracy was the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
"Unnerved by the courageous decisions of the Supreme Court, the ruling mafia decided to damage his image. Since the CJ himself is incorruptible and a man of high integrity," he said. Khan stated that those wanting to weaken him chose to target his son.
"While much of the evidence is yet to come out, said the PTI chairman, it has been admitted by Riaz Malik according to newspaper reports that he paid for vacations and shopping sprees of Arsalan Iftikhar.
Why did he do this, asked Khan? CJ’s son was not working for Riaz Malik and had no business relations with him. The only reason this was done was to entrap him and then blackmail or undermine the integrity of the Chief Justice, said Imran Khan.
"This is further established by the fact that all the receipts of the transactions and reportedly some video clips were carefully retained. If there was no ulterior motive," said Chairman PTI, "then why was this incriminating evidence against the CJ’s son being collected?"
He said that there is little doubt that this was a well thought out conspiracy to defame the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court and Malik Riaz played a central role in it.
"Arsalan Iftikhar also has much to explain," said Imran Khan, and that if evidence establishes that he accepted favours by making promises of influencing his father, then he must bear the consequences.
"The Chief Justice has done the right thing by deciding not to hear the case himself. The truth will surely come out. But, facts reported in the media clearly show that Riaz Malik’s intent was not to buy influence but only to compromise the Chief Justice’s son and use this later to defame the judiciary," said the statement by the PTI chief.
"We know who are the real instigators behind Riaz Malik’s conspiracy. He is just a pawn in the hands of the corrupt Zardari/Gilani cabal ruling the country that is threatened by an independent judiciary. It has long been seeking to undermine it in whatever way possible," he said.
"Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf will stand with the independent judiciary," said Imran khan.