Zulfi claims PTI ‘still on same page with army’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfi Bukhari Saturday reaffirmed that the party and Pakistan Army are still on the “same page”.

The politician, who is considered a close aide to former party chairman Imran Khan, also emphasised that the party is open to talks with all political parties including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Bukhari’s comments came as he spoke with journalists in London, where he spoke about the party’s plans to compete in the general elections scheduled to take place on February 8 next year.

However, he also stressed that excluding PTI from the upcoming polls would not contribute towards Pakistan’s political and economic stability.

“It seems like the elections will not take place until PTI is finished,” said Bukhari, adding that the party will not accept the elections if they are held in “certain circumstances”.

Former prime minister Khan and his party have repeatedly called for a level playing field in the run-up to the polls next year.

The party was also asked by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct intra-party polls, which took place today sans Khan and during which the former chief nominated his legal advisor Barrister Gohar Khan to be his successor.

The PTI leader, in the presser, also revealed the party’s preparations ahead of the polls, stating that the PTI has chosen to run candidates from every constituency.

Speaking about the cases registered against him in Pakistan, the former special assistant to the prime minister during Khan’s government said he would go to the country and face the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference against him in the £190 million settlement case.

However, it is unlikely that Bukhari will be travelling to Pakistan anytime soon as the caretaker government has requested Interpol for his arrest. He was in Dubai when the Interpol request was made, but left the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bukhari has since not travelled outside London.

Earlier this week, Bukhari also kickstarted a mass mobilisation and fundraising campaign for the party in the United Kingdom and Europe for the general elections.

“We will take part in elections at any cost. We need funds and effort from the overseas regions. The party needs funds for its legal challenges as well for the election campaign,” he had said.

More From Daily The Destination: £190m case: NAB files reference against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference against PTI President Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi on charges of amassing over Rs1 billion as kickbacks by awarding contracts for development schemes in Gujrat to their favourite contractors.

The bureau filed the reference after completing an investigation against Parvez Elahi and the other suspect.

The NAB reference named the father-son duo as the main accused and stated that they, along with others, caused great loss to the national treasury.

Elahi senior used his office illegally and received kickbacks and bribes by unlawfully approving 116 development schemes for Gujrat, as per the reference.

Parvez and Moonis Elahi took bribes for awarding contracts to their favourite contractors, while the amount in kickbacks was received in the bank accounts of Moonis Elahi and his family members.

The suspects were found guilty during the investigation and the court should award them an appropriate punishment, the NAB reference stated.

Meanwhile, on Nov 30, proceedings against Moonis were started after he was declared a proclaimed offender by the court in a money laundering case earlier in November.

On court orders, the proceedings against the PO were initiated, and advertisements related to him pasted on various locations. The advertisement says that he is absconding and not appearing in court.

The Federal Investigation Agency had submitted an investigation report to the court.

An accountability court of Lahore had declared Moonis an absconder on November 13 in a case involving receiving kickbacks worth billions in development projects.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had accused the former PML-Q leader of embezzling money in various development projects. On Oct 6, it started proceedings to declare the former minister a proclaimed offender after the suspect evaded arrest.