LAHORE: Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday said that supremacy of the rule of law was key to get Pakistan out of quagmire.
Addressing a lawyers’ convention via video link, Imran Khan accused former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of controlling the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), saying he blocked the conclusion of corruption cases against “thieves” during his government’s tenure.
“NAB would tell us that the cases were matured but they were not being allowed to conclude them,” the deposed premier said.
“General Bajwa was not allowing them [NAB]… he was sitting behind and would decide who should be released [from NAB custody] or suppressed,” he added.
Imran said the then opposition leader and incumbent prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif’s money laundering case was an “open and shut” case.
“His [PM Shehbaz] case was not listed for hearing… I was prime minister but I was completely helpless.”
The former PM said law of jungle was prevailing in the country “as all the thieves have gathered and now shutting down their corruption cases”.
Imran reiterated his allegations that his government was toppled by “buying conscience” of the lawmakers.
“All segments of the society are scared and the most concerning figure is that 750,000 people have left the country as they have become hopeless and lost confidence in the system after what happened in the last seven months,” he remarked.
Imran said only the rule of law can lift the country out of prevailing “quagmire” without which the country’s economy can never prosper and “neither can we become an Asian tiger overnight”.
