Pakistani mafia using ploys like Sicilian mafia: Imran Khan

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the Pakistani mafia uses ploys such as bribing, blackmailing and threatening to pressurise the judiciary and other state institutions just like the ‘Sicilian mafia’.The prime minister wrote in a Twitter post: “In a similar vein to the ‘Sicilian mafia’, the Pakistani mafia uses tactics of bribe, threat, blackmail and begging to pressurise state institutions and judiciary in order to protect their billions of money laundering stashed abroad.”

PM Khan’s tweet came after the controversy surrounding Accountability Judge Arshad Malik has exacerbated lately. Malik has been under the scanner since the past few days in reference to the ‘video leak’ scandal against him, claiming that the judge announced a verdict against Nawaz Sharif under duress without any evidence in Al-Azizia case.

Arshad Malik in his written statement, to the Islamabad High Court, has claimed that he was blackmailed by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) through an old videotape of him which had secretly been filmed in Multan 16 years ago.The tape was used to blackmail me over and over again and wanted favors for the accused PML-N supremo, read the affidavit.The judge also revealed in the affidavit that he was offered huge bribes and was also threatened with murder if he didn’t comply with the demands.