Shahzad Akbar's supporters should be sacked for lying about accountability: Zulfi Bukhari

• Bukhari praises Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking action when he deems it appropriate.
• Bukhari says new accountability chief (Brigadier Musadiq Abbasi) has taken charge and it will take him some time.
• PM Khan’s former overseas minister accepts that the accountability unit failed in its objectives, including bringing back Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

LONDON: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s former special assistant and aide Zulfi Bukhari has called for the rolling of more heads after the resignation of PM Khan’s accountability chief Shahzad Akbar, saying that those who presented positive reports of PM’s former adviser Akbar should also be sent packing.

Addressing an event in London organised by businessman and dental surgeon Dr Muhammad Waqaas, Bukhari praised Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking action whenever he deems it appropriate but suggested that those who used to tell the PM that "Akbar is doing a brilliant job must come forward and they should be held accountable too."

Bukhari said that the new head of accountability (Brigadier Musadiq Abbasi) has taken charge and it will take him some time to make things right.

He added: “This would be wrong to throw only Shahzad Akbar under the bus. For three years when Akbar was in power, there were people around who presented reports to the premier that Akbar was doing a brilliant job. Those people should now come forward and they should be sacked too."

He said that the people in question used to tell the premier Abkar was doing a brilliant job and then the PM found out that was not the case. 

"In any case, we should applaud the PM that as soon as he sees something failing and if he sees a shortcoming in anyone, be it Shahzad Akbar who was close to him, the PM takes action.”

PM Khan’s former overseas minister accepted that the accountability unit failed in its objectives, including bringing back Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

Bukhari said: “Maybe he (Shahzad Akbar) couldn’t perform up to the expectations of PM Imran Khan and the reasons could be that Akbar didn’t have a good team, or maybe he didn’t understand the system well, or maybe he didn’t have the expertise. It’s true that people were expecting from us to at least bring back the looted wealth and if not repatriate the money then at least force the return of Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan but Akbar couldn’t handle these matters.”

Zulfi said that “accountability is a difficult subject when cases are taken to the courts. Our weakness has been to introduce judicial reforms. When there are judicial reforms, there are effects on the outcomes of cases.”

PM Imran Khan’s advisor Sahibzada Jahangir at the same event said he met the PM recently and advised him to reduce PTI UK’s paid membership so that more people could join the party on a paid basis.

Naming PTI’s two UK elected leaders, Sahibzada Jahangir said that both of them had purchased around 1000 votes each to gain their positions. “This is a matter of shame for us. I told Imran Khan that Aneel Musarrat and I have gone bankrupt, the membership will increase to at least 100,000 if the membership fees are fixed at £10.”

— Thumbnail image: Provided by reporter