Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed on Saturday that benefits were given in the name of democracy to the rich and powerful who were now imprisoned.
In what appeared to be a response to the PML-N, the information minister took to Twitter and said, “If you are rich and powerful then in the broader interest of democracy, your house in the ministers’ enclave will be declared a sub-jail. The green belt in front of your house will be made part of your bungalow in the name of security and you can do the government’s audit.”
Chaudhry added, “if you are poor then even after death you will be handcuffed to keep your soul from escaping.”
Chaudhry was referring to the Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif whose house in the Ministers’ Enclave has been declared a sub-jail multiple times during the National Assembly proceedings after his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
A day earlier, pictures of the body of former Sargodha University official Mian Javed went viral on social media with handcuffs still on and were severely criticised on social media. The NAB had arrested Javed earlier in October along with former Sargodha University vice-chancellor Dr Mohammad Akram Chaudhry and four other university officials.
According to the anti-corruption watchdog, the suspects were accused of receiving millions in bribes for allowing third parties to establish illegal sub-campuses.
Published in Daily Times, December 23rd 2018.
