Former human rights minister and senior PTI leader Dr Shireen Mazari on Tuesday said that US ambassador’s meeting the officials of provincial governments is “not a problem”, as she defended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan’s meeting with Donald Blome.
The PTI recently faced criticism over contradiction in stances towards the United States.
Speaking at a press conference, Shireen Mazari asked under which contract the US ambassadors visit sensitive areas, while no Pakistani ambassador can go to the sensitive areas of other countries. “No ambassador could meet the prime minister in our [PTI] government. There is a separate protocol [for such visits],” she said.
Moving on to the issue of PTI’s prohibited funding case, Shireen Mazari said: “It is becoming clearer that the Election Commission of Pakistan is biased as the chief election commissioner is making decisions out of his jurisdiction.”
“He is working under a political agenda,” she alleged.
Shireen Mazari contended that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cannot probe any prohibited funding case.
“Under which authority is FIA asking for records?” she asked, asserting that seeking such information does not fall within FIA’s jurisdiction and is against the law.
She went on to say that the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to look into allegations of prohibited funding against all the parties. “Instead, the ECP adjourned the hearing on PTI’s plea for a month,” she said.
The minister said that the ECP “didn’t even serve a notice to the party” and when they asked about it, “the commission said the notice was on the official website, but it wasn’t”.
Speaking about Shahbaz Gill, Shireen Mazari asked why, when the PTI leader gave remarks over a landline, are the police demanding access to his mobile phone.
“If Gill has violated any law then make a case against him. They cannot detain a person and torture him at an unknown place,” she said, adding that Gill has torture marks on his body and he was kept thirsty and awake. She went on to say that a bid was made to torture Gill after shifting him to PIMS Hospital from Adiala Jail. “Rana Sanaullah, we are not going to be terrified of you. We are fighting the war for haqiqi azadi [real freedom],” she said, while addressing the interior minister. She also condemned the detention of the wife of Gill’s driver.
