The government on Thursday, once again, barred the leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from holding a press conference at the building of Press Information Department (PID), citing rules do not permit any opposition party to use the facility. The gates of the PID building were shut and a large number of policemen were deployed outside the building on the special directives of State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Central Information Secretary of PTI Naeem-ul-Haq along with MNA Murad Saeed had to go back to Bani Gala. While speaking to journalists, they accused the government of misusing the facility for political purposes at the expense of the taxpayers' money. He termed the government's decision of not allowing the party from holding a presser at PID a dictatorial move, saying PTI has already held a press conference inside the building when Pervaiz Rashid was information minister.

He said that the delay behind releasing the report of Dawn Leaks is because Maaryam Nawaz Sharif's name is also included in the list, adding there will be no compromise on this and it must be made public. About the joint investigation team (JIT) that will probe the allegations against Sharif family's offshore companies, he said that the party is confident the JIT will complete the gigantic task with full honesty.

The PTI leaders were also stopped from holding a news conference at PID last month. Leaders of PTI, Shibli Faraz and Shehryar Afridi, exchanged harsh words with the PID officials after they were stopped at the gate. The PTI leaders had also filed a complaint against Marriyum Aurangzeb at Aabpara police station. Responding to this, the police informed that they have received the complaint and it is currently under legal review.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017