Punjab Caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir has said that there is no corruption of single paisa in the free flour scheme, adding that those who hurled allegations have affected their repute through this act.
He also termed the scheme the most successful in the history of the Punjab. He said that 30 million deserving people benefited from the free flour scheme.
He mentioned that the scheme was funded by the federal and Punjab governments. The intra-party politics should not affect the credibility of the scheme, he urged.
He asked Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to present evidence to prove his claim or offer an apology. No one can accuse the Punjab caretaker government of financial corruption, adding that the caretaker government can answer about any single paisa spent by it.
Earlier, the Punjab caretaker government was blamed for the incident as the federal government distanced itself from a late-night raid at the Lahore residence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab President Parvez Elahi.
The Punjab Police entered Elahi’s home on Friday night to take him into custody, which drew harsh criticism from the party, which has been protesting the arrests of its workers and leaders.
After Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Director General Sohail Zafar Chattha left the scene with the police team, the more than six-hour-long police operation ended.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar conducted a crucial meeting in this regard. Qureshi is also leading discussions with the ruling alliance to develop a consensus on holding elections across the country on the same date.
Dar expressed sadness over the raid on the home of the PTI Punjab president and the infringement of the ‘chadar and char dewari,’ a term used to define a family’s dignity.
Qureshi informed Dar of the feelings of the Elahi family about the “illegal attack” at their home during the meeting.
Dar was cited as declaring in the meeting that “the federal government has nothing to do with the attack on the house of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.”
The Punjab caretaker government carried out the raid, as the finance minister claimed.
Dar promised to bring the PTI’s concerns about the police action to the attention of the leadership of the ruling alliance and will follow up with the opposition party shortly.
On the other hand, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal criticized the PTI leaders for “using women and children” as a cover to avoid arrest.
While talking to a private news channel, the minister said that police did not detain Elahi and PTI Chairman Imran Khan during a raid at their home.
He chided the PTI leaders for generating a fuss over arrests, saying, “We never used wheelchairs or cried on TV.” He claimed that during the PTI-led government’s tenure, PML-N politicians, including its leader Nawaz Sharif, were subjected to “bogus cases and political victimization.”
Meanwhile, Punjab caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi said that no illegal action will be allowed by anyone, adding that he is currently in Medina and getting all details.
In a tweet, he said that he is appalled to know that police and anti-corruption team went to arrest PTI Punjab President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi but stormed Chaudhry Shaujaat’s House in which Chaudhry Salik Hussain got injured. The law should take its course, he added.