Musadik slams Imran Khan for pursuing politics of hypocrisy

Musadik slams Imran Khan for pursuing politics of hypocrisy

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik on Thursday lamented PTI’s chief Imran Khan for pursuing a politics of hypocrisy. Addressing a press conference, he said, "Your theft has been exposed, we have no demand, but Imran Khan must show the receipts of the Toshakhana gifts being sold in the market". He said as per rules, any gift received from foreign dignitaries was first deposited in the ‘Toshakhana’ and later on another procedure of market evaluation was carried out if the recipient wanted to keep it. "But no such thing happened in this case" he alleged. However, he said, as per the market evaluation that had been carried out in a thorough professional and technical way, its price stood at around $12 million, almost Rs 1.7 billion at that time and now about Rs 2 billion. He said Imran Khan bought the watch set for Rs 20 million without adopting the laid down procedure. "And now, he (Imran) has confessed to committing two crimes, which are buying and selling it." He regretted that the unique gift was not meant to sell in the open market as it was given as a gesture of great love and respect to Pakistan. He criticized the PTI chairman for hiring the services of lobbyist David Fenton in the US, who was known as the founder of the denuclearization programme besides getting money and land from Malik Riaz to protect his money-laundering and receiving millions of pounds from Arif Naqvi, Chief Executive of the Abraj Capital and Investment Company, indicted by the US courts in a range of cases and could get up to years’ imprisonment. The first plundering was of $250 million by Malik Riaz in Bahria Town, which, as per the Cabinet signed paper and Pakistani representative in the UK who signed the document in the British court, was gifted to Malik Riaz and deposited in his account. "It was given in lieu of 400 kanals of land that was registered in the name of Imran Khan and his wife," he alleged. The second case, he said, was related to Arif Masood Naqvi who was likely to be charged in the UK with money laundering. Imran Khan, during his regime, waived off a Rs 250 billion investment to be made by K-Electric in the Dattang Coal Project, which would have benefited Karachiites. Musadik Malik said it was unfortunate that Imran Khan was doing politics and wanted to create division in the public and in institutions for personal gains. Musadiq Malik said that it was unfortunate that the PTI leadership and the workers have run a negative campaign against the Pakistan armed forces’ jawans and officers who were martyred in the helicopter crash in Balochistan. Regarding the provision of gas to consumers, Musadik Malik assured them that the gas availability during this winter season would be better as compared to the previous year. He said the government was making all out efforts in this regard. He said the government had arranged two additional LNG Cargoes for January and February as compared to last year.

He said the Prime Minister had also directed to arrange more LNG cargoes to provide maximum relief to the consumers.