Lieutenant General Tariq Khan (retd) Tariq Khan has refused to head the government’s commission that was formed to probe the “foreign conspiracy” hatched to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, several media outlets reported.
Taking to Twitter, Lt Gen (retd) Khan has conveyed his decision to the government.
The government of Pakistan has suggested my name for the investigation of the letter gate.
I apologize to the head of the Lettergate Commission of Inquiry.— Lt.Gen R Tariq Khan (@Pakistan_Tariq3) April 8, 2022
Earlier in the day, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry announced that the government had decided to present the contents of the threat letter in the National Assembly tomorrow and had also constituted a commission to probe the alleged conspiracy.
He revealed that the commission, led by Lt Gen (retd) Tariq Khan, would investigate all the “characters” behind the no-trust move and expose them in front of the nation. “It will see if the communique exists and whether it contains the threat of regime change.”
The information minister added that the commission would review the aforementioned points within 90 days and form its own investigative teams.
Who is Tariq Khan?
Lt Gen Tariq Khan is a retired Pakistan Army officer who was the Commander of I Strike Corps at Mangla. He has been the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps from September 2008 till October 2010. He has also commanded the 1st Armoured Division in Multan from 2006 to 2007 and then the 14th Infantry Division in South Waziristan till 2008.
Khan gained fame when he led the Frontier Corps to victory against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Battle of Bajaur in 2009. He has also raised voice against the threat letter and termed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan a foreign conspiracy.
Several political analysts have expressed concerned over the appointment of Tariq Khan, terming it a government’s strategy. The experts demanded a neutral person to head the investigation commission.
PM’s fate to be decided Saturday
The National Assembly’s session for voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan will take place at 10:30am tomorrow (Saturday) in line with the Supreme Court’s order.
In the National Assembly’s (NA) agenda issued Friday, voting on the no-confidence motion is at the fourth position in the six-point agenda.
Although the premier has vowed to keep fighting, his coalition lost its majority in the national assembly last week, but he avoided being dismissed when the deputy speaker blocked a no-confidence motion against him and the president dissolved parliament and ordered fresh elections.
The premier claimed the Opposition had colluded with the United States for “regime change” when the deputy speaker — a member of PTI — refused to allow the no-confidence motion.
Simultaneously, Khan asked President Arif Alvi — who is also a PTI loyalist — to dissolve the assembly. The decision — which the court said was unanimous — was met with jubilation by opposition supporters in the capital.
There had been high hopes for Khan when he was elected in 2018 on a promise of sweeping away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism, but he struggled to maintain support with soaring inflation, a feeble rupee and crippling debt.
