ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said that PTI is seeking National Reconciliation Order (NRO) from United States and International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its founder chairman but he (PTI founder) has to prove his innocence in court.
The NRO was a controversial decree issued by former President Gen Pervez Musharraf in 2007. It granted amnesty to politicians, political operatives and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption.
The PML-N leader’s statement came after Imran, who is lodged in Adiala jail on various charges, reportedly wrote a letter to the IMF asking that lending to the cash-strapped country be linked to an independent audit of the disputed February 8 election.
While 31 members of the US Congress recently signed a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging them not to recognize the new government in Pakistan until an investigation into allegations of election meddling is carried out.
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Speaking to the media flanked by PML-N leader Ata Tarar, the former planning minister said, “PTI founder will not get NRO. He must prove his innocence in court.”
Responding to a query, Iqbal remarked, “PTI has a track record of fomenting mayhem and engaging in election rigging. The Speaker of the National Assembly rejected the PTI’s claim.
Expressing optimism about the PTI, Iqbal emphasized his party’s stand that it would not oppose the nomination of Omar Ayub to contest the election of the Prime Minister and stressed that the PML-N adheres to democratic principles. He condemned subversive political tactics and emphasized zero tolerance for anarchic practices.