Zulfiqar Ahmad
ISLAMABAD, May 30: The firebrand PTI MNA from Chitral Abdul Latif, who was handed down a 27-year prison sentence on Friday, claimed he was implicated in the bogus terrorism case after he refused a Rs2 billion bribe to back the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment.
MNA Latif, a diehard loyalist of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan, slammed the ruling as revenge by what he called the “installed regime of Form 47 and its handlers, who are pulling the strings of the puppet Shehbaz Sharif regime.”
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad convicted Latif and others over his alleged role in the May 9 riots when PTI supporters allegedly stormed police stations and government buildings after the arrest of Imran Khan. But Latif insisted the charges were bogus, calling it a false flag set up by the powers that be.
Latif insisted that he didn’t even know where the police station was located.
“I hadn’t even heard of the Ramna Police Station until I was falsely accused of attacking it,” Latif said in a defiant video message following the ATC verdict. “Just because I support Imran Khan, they threw me into this mess.”
The court’s decision came down hard – 27 years for allegedly leading the charge on the Ramna PS during the nationwide unrest.
But Latif, unbowed, claimed that the real crime was his refusal to accept a massive payoff to support the controversial 26th Amendment – a move that he insisted would have betrayed his party and Khan’s ideology.
“There is also a court of Allah, where no police, no pressure works,” he said, taking a fiery swipe at the lower judiciary. “Justice will ultimately be served.”
The MNA remained hopeful that the higher judiciary of the country will toss out what he called a “politically motivated and unjust” ruling. He insisted he would never sell out, no matter the price – or the prison sentence.
“No conviction, no bribe can shake my conscience,” he declared. “I’ve stood by Imran Khan for 28 years – and I’m not backing down now nor will I ever in future.”