JUI-F President Fazlur Rehman said on Tuesday that a Supreme Court judge’s remarks about the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had vindicated his party’s stance on the corruption watchdog.

Talking to journalists at his residence, Fazl said that a judge’s comments about the NAB in a Supreme Court verdict have exposed the accountability bureau. He said there was no justification for the NAB to remain intact after the Supreme Court verdict. He said the NAB was used to do political engineering, take revenge on opponents and suppress the voices of the opposition. He said that NAB has been declared partial and now it has no relevance. He said that NAB cases against politicians should be heard by regular courts. He said that families of missing persons are waiting for their return. He said that missing persons are not produced in courts. He said there should be a true democracy in Pakistan. He said the United States should stand for democracy in other countries like it stands for democracy at home. He said the United States keep its pressure on the Pakistani establishment and plays a role in selection of high profile people including the president. He said that politicians have to build pressure to have themselves heard.

Fazl said that NAB targeted opposition leader from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Khurshid Ahmad Shah. He said that an inside lobby prevailed during PPP and PML-N governments and did not allow them to disband the NAB. He said that July 25 is as black day of Pakistan’s history as July 5. He said the establishment brought Imran Khan into power, but two major opposition parties played a role in extension of his rule. He said the one who was elected for five years is himself saying he has been left with just six months and this is a fact. He said he was not interested in in-house change; he wanted fresh elections. He said the entire opposition was united on fresh elections. He said the country was under an undeclared martial law. He said that retired or in-service generals were running the country. He said that PML President Chaudhry Shujat should clarify whether it was agreed or not that the government would go in March. If yes, why is he hiding behind the coronavirus pandemic?