Jatoi ousted over attack on CJP, Army

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA: State Minister for Defence Production Abdul Qayyum Jatoi tendered his resignation on Saturday after failing to satisfy Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani over his hostile remarks about the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the army. Addressing a press conference at Bugti House in Quetta, Jatoi had alleged that the CJP possessed a fake domicile of Balochistan, and that the army was involved in the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Jatoi had also said that the CJP belonged to Faisalabad and had been appointed on a fake domicile of Balochistan.Gilani had taken serious notice of the statements and had immediately summoned him to Islamabad to explain his position. However, Jatoi could not satisfy the prime minister and resigned from the post of the state minister for defence production. In the press conference, Jatoi had also alleged that the establishment was involved in the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti. “Bugti was killed by the army on the directives of former president Pervez Musharraf,” he said, adding that the government would arrest him as soon as he returned to Pakistan.

Jatoi said the government was not scared of the army and “the sound of boots”. “The Pakistan Army has not been given uniforms and shoes to use against its own people and to kill them, but to serve the nation and ensure security of borders,” he said. “The right of corruption was given to specific people and I believe that everyone whether he is a Baloch, Sindhi, Seraiki, Pashtun or Punjabi should be given an equal right to do corruption,” he said.

After his resignation, Jatoi said that his words about corruption were his own, but added that he never meant to go against any institution in the country.