Minister trying to cover up ‘horror stories’: ex-Pak PM

PTI Chairman Imran Khan yesterday hit back at Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah's allegations that the party had planned to orchestrate a "raid and rape" at a known worker's home in an effort to malign law enforcement agencies, terming them an effort to pre-empt and cover up "horror stories".

Imran's remarks came hours after Sanaullah, in a post-midnight press conference in Faisalabad, alleged that intelligence agencies had intercepted a telephone call in which a plan to "stage a raid and rape" at a known PTI worker's home was being discussed.

The interior minister did not provide any proof of his claim. "A plan […] was being prepared. That there is an actual raid at a home — and that home will be of a known PTI worker — and an incident of firing occurs there, resulting in casualties," he said, adding that this was being planned to highlight human rights violations in Pakistan.

"In the same conversation that was intercepted, a second drama was that a rape is carried out. Meaning that an actual rape is carried out and it is blamed on law enforcement agencies [and] that it is happening at the government's behest."

The minister alleged that the PTI had then planned to highlight the issue on international media. He said that there were chances that the act would be carried out "tonight" (Sunday night) which is why the government had deemed it "necessary to make the nation aware of the devilish design".