Shahbaz Sharif asks Pak Army chief, DG ISI to present evidence if Opposition lawmakers committed treason

Islamabad, Apr 5 (PTI) The Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asked the army chief and the head of the ISI to present evidence before the Supreme Court whether the Opposition leaders have committed treason as alleged by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sharif made the demand to Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum following Khan's repeated claims that there is a "clear nexus" with a foreign state to bring about a change of government in Islamabad.

The powerful Army was apparently caught in the verbal cross-firing between Prime Minister Khan and the combined opposition over the “threatening letter” related to a “foreign conspiracy” to topple the government led by the cricketer-turned-politician.

Khan has accused the Opposition of colluding with foreign powers, and said he was the target of a US-led conspiracy to remove him through a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly because of his refusal to back them on issues against Russia and China. The US has rejected Khan's allegations.

Speaking to journalists outside the Supreme Court, the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) reiterated that none of the Opposition leaders have committed treason as alleged by Khan.

"We did not invite any foreign power and neither are we involved in any foreign conspiracy," the 70-year-old leader said, adding that this issue should be clarified.

"I demand Chief of Army Staff and the Director General of the ISI to take notice of this issue and produce evidence in the Supreme Court if we have committed treason,” Sharif said.

Khan has claimed that Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, the top American official dealing with South Asia in the US State Department, was involved in the "foreign conspiracy" to topple his government.

Khan on March 27 showed a “letter” and claimed that the no-confidence motion was part of a conspiracy to dislodge him, followed by an intelligent maneuver to chair a high-level National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on March 31, which was attended by all services and intelligence chiefs. A statement issued after the meeting stated that “the Committee expressed grave concern at the communication (letter), terming the language used by the foreign official as undiplomatic.” Khan then used the endorsement by the NSC as a proof of involvement of the Opposition in the foreign conspiracy to remove him, while deputy speaker Qasim Suri used it to reject the no-confidence motion.

The top PML-N leader said he will also present this request before the Supreme Court which is hearing the case of the Opposition parties against the rejection of the no-confidence motion against prime minister Khan by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

He demanded that the "establishment" should clarify if they had "signed the minutes of the National Security Committee meeting which said that the opposition has played a role in the foreign conspiracy".

"Did the establishment approve them? Were they vetted? These are the answers the nation wants to know today," Sharif added.

Recalling their previous demands, he said: “We have been raising this issue for last three-and-a-half years that this government and the prime minister is illegal.” He complained that when the joint Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan while practising its constitutional right, the government raised the issue of “foreign conspiracy.” The Leader of the Opposition said: “It is now time for the army officials, who have made innumerable sacrifices, to clarify whether the National Security Committee (NSC) passed a resolution in which the role of Opposition in the ‘foreign conspiracy’ is stated.” The PML-N leader further stated that he had not received any letter from President Arif Alvi regarding the appointment of an interim prime minister, after the president dissolved the National Assembly on Sunday.

Sharif dubbed both President Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan as violators of the Constitution.

On Monday, President Alvi said that he had written a letter to Prime Minister Khan and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Sharif to "propose a suitable person for appointment". However, Shehbaz said that he had received no such letter.