Zaid Hamid caused 'defamation of Pakistan', laments Rasheed

Taking exception to Zaid Hamid on the occasion of an Iftar dinner at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, Pervez Rasheed said the defense analyst caused ‘defamation of Pakistan’.

However, he said the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan is looking after the matter and is in contact with the Saudi authorities.

When asked about rigging allegations by Tehreek-i-Insaf, the minister declined to comment until the judicial commission does not announce its verdict.

Rasheed, however, suggested Imran Khan to be cautious from his ‘close friends’ regarding 35 punctures issue.

In response to a query about Muttahida Qaumi Movement, he said the government is in touch with the UK authorities with regard to Altaf Hussain and MQM, however the matter will be discussed after the evidences come forth.

In his word about the National Action Plan, Pervez Rasheed said the attorney general will present the government’s stance in the Supreme Court, yet it is not a plan to be executed within a day and is being acted upon phase by phase.

A couple of weeks ago, Zaid Hamid had been arrested in Saudi Arabia for reportedly criticizing the Kingdom for its aggressive stance in Yemen.

A Saudi court also sentenced the defense analyst to 1,000 lashes and 8 years of imprisonment.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office is trying these days to obtain consular access to Hamid. He had been in Saudi Arabia for offering Umrah.