ISLAMABAD: Communications and Postal Services’ Minister Murad Saeed said on Thursday that he had been targeted with a vicious and malicious propaganda for being a person from the middle class as elite politicians couldn’t bear anyone from middle class rise.
Addressing a presser here, Murad Saeed said he had no say in how the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) proceeded following his complaint on remarks made against him during a television show last week, adding that he had acted according to the law by registering a complaint and had no involvement in subsequent proceedings by the agency.
“As a Pakistani, who has confidence in the Constitution and law of Pakistan, I acted in a lawful manner. After that … how the institution proceeded, it is its mandate. I shouldn’t be asked about this,” he said while replying to reporters’ questions.
Saeed also clarified that in his complaint, he had only referred to the television show during which the remarks were made and requested for legal action.
The episode being discussed here goes back to last week, when the anchor and panelists during television programme G for Gharidah on NewsOne had questioned Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to award Saeed the first place among the 10 best performing federal ministries. The panel had made several critical and disparaging remarks about the federal minister, insinuating with innuendoes that some ‘other factors’ were behind the award than his ministry’s performance.
During that show, one of the panelists, Mohsin Jamil Baig, had referred to a book written by PM Imran’s ex-wife Reham Khan, suggesting that the reason for Murad’s recognition was mentioned in that book.
The programme had attracted a flurry of criticism from government officials as well as by netizens. The Pakistan ElecÂtronic Media Regulatory AuthÂority had issued a show-cause notice to the channel for airing “unethical” remarks about a federal minister.
Subsequently, an FIA team raided Baig’s residence in Islamabad yesterday, taking action on Saeed’s complaint. During that raid, officials allege Baig shot at and roughed up members of the FIA team, following which he was arrested by police and a separate case was registered against him for attacking government officials.
According to the FIA, Saeed had registered a first information report (FIR) against Baig at a cybercrime reporting centre of the agency in Lahore. The FIR said Baig had “assassinated” Saeed’s character by using “immoral and abusive language” in a talk show, the FIA said.
After his arrest, Baig’s counsel, Raheel Niazi, had moved an instant petition in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal for his client’s recovery. The same day, the sessions court had pronounced the raid on Baig’s house “illegal”.
However, Baig remains under arrest as an anti-terrorism court sent him on a three-day physical remand in police custody in the case registered against him for allegedly attacking the FIA’s raiding team.
‘Campaign targeting middle class’
Earlier in his press conference, Saeed said: “I am addressing Pakistan’s lower and lower-middle class … the sordid campaign they are running [against me] shows where you [the middle class] stand in their eyes.”
Without naming anyone, he said, “They will not let you rise. They will not give you [any] opportunities.”
Making an apparent reference to politicians from opposition parties, Saeed said, “In their eyes, parliament and politics is their property. Either landlords or their children can enter it, not someone like you and I.”
Saeed said if someone echoed the voice of the people and started exposing “their corruption”, then “sordid allegations” would be made against them.
He added that when a person works for the country’s betterment, “then they believe that their monopoly is in danger. And then their social media becomes active.”
Saeed said the “campaign [against me] is to show you that you are not in a position to compete with them, challenge them.”
“This is why [they have] put up this circus. This is to warn the youth against challenging their monopoly,” he commented.
The minister had started the press briefing by building up an argument to show that there was a long struggle behind him becoming a federal minister and the “vile campaign” launched against him had no grounds.
“It was not that I woke up one morning in 2013 and made my way to parliament. I am the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) student wing and turned it into the most powerful student force in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw in a very short span,” he said, naming movements, such as the one for the restoration of the judiciary during the tenure of former military ruler retired General Pervez Musharraf, that he had participated in.
“I was beaten, jailed and threatened. But I endured it all,” he said.
Saeed recalled that he had organised the structure of PTI’s student wing across Pakistan and expanded it to all union councils.
“And when the party showed confidence in me during the 2013 elections, I was elected to parliament with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s biggest lead,” he said, adding that his purpose behind being in parliament was not to “flatter them […] who believe that parliament was their property and given to them in inheritance”.
“I was there to be the voice of the suppressed,” he said.
Saeed said politicians from opposition parties had targeted and personally attacked him and his family before as well, making derogatory remarks about them.
“I never spoke on the matter before,” he continued. “But I am speaking up this time around … because the certificate being awarded to my ministry was the success of every personnel of Motorway police who had embraced martyrdom to make your journey safe. It was a certificate for employees of the Pakistan Post […] and this success belonged to personnel and officers of the NHA (National Highway Authority).”
“You can’t be cruel to them. You have questioned them” by objecting to the awarding of the certificate,” he said.
Saeed maintained that his ministry had set 88 targets for itself and they had achieved all of those.
He also shared details of different initiatives and projects of his ministry.
