Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar calls tactic criminal ploy to divert attention as matter referred to Interior Committee
Former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf speaks at a session of the National Assembly on May 20, 2026. SCREENGRAB
Former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervez Ashraf told the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday that he had lived a “spotless life” after drug queenpin Pinky allegedly named him during a court appearance, an incident he described as an attempt at character assassination.
On May 18, drug queenpin Anmol alias Pinky repeated allegations of pressure to name certain individuals, including Ashraf, stating that she was being instructed to implicate them. Pinky, who is accused of operating one of the city’s most organised narcotics supply networks, was arrested on May 12 during a joint operation conducted by city police and a civil agency at an apartment in the Garden area.
Addressing the house, Ashraf said a clip had gone viral on social media showing the woman mentioning his name during court proceedings. However, within half an hour, a second clip emerged in which her lawyers explained that when she went to court, she had been pressured to name him.
“By the grace of God, I have lived a spotless life,” Ashraf told the house. “I have been a member of this house for the fourth time. I have remained the prime minister of this country and speaker of the National Assembly.”
Ashraf said he was initially at a loss to understand what connection he could have with the matter, but noted that after the clarification emerged, multiple narratives began circulating on social media with vloggers and commentators weighing in on the incident.
He thanked NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for taking immediate notice of the matter, and also expressed gratitude to his party leadership, family members and notably, his political opponents. “I am also thankful to all my friends, family members, and especially my political opponents as well, who recognised this issue and openly stated that this is not correct in any way,” he said.
Terming it fake and sensational, Ashraf said: “Such attempts made to malign someone, or to achieve any other motive, must be stopped.”
Read: Sindh IG says probe into Pinky’s drug network expanded as she named ‘certain personalities’
Ashraf said he believed the woman had been used to divert attention from her own case. “This woman had earlier taken the name of another personality, and I believe this was done to deflect attention, so that focus could be shifted elsewhere, or to gain advantage, or to divert the matter in another direction, or to create dispute among people,” he said.
The former prime minister used the occasion to call for legislation against media trials and unverified allegations, requesting Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to look into the matter. “No person, whether politician or ordinary citizen, should face media trial or character assassination until allegations are proven. Every citizen is innocent until proven guilty under law,” he said.
“My only request is that no one should be defamed without reason, because I know this incident had no basis at all,” he said.
Further, the former prime minister requested the speaker to establish a system “so that until investigation is completed, until inquiry is completed, until the case reaches court, all kinds of comments on such matters should not be made, because they are not only harmful for society but also equivalent to tarnishing the honour of respectable people”.
Ashraf also pointed to his own experience, saying he had previously endured what he described as a motivated case in which he was honourably acquitted but suffered years of reputational damage. “I always say that those 10 years during which his reputation was destroyed, how will you restore that honour?” he said.
He also directed pointed remarks at vloggers “and others who, for the sake of ratings, use misleading headlines and content” to reflect on the practice. “Perhaps they gain a few dollars from it, but in my view it is a serious failure,” he said.
Stating that everyone should think together about this matter, Ashraf said that the guilty should be punished.
Speaker Sadiq expressed solidarity with Ashraf, telling the house that everyone knew his dignity, honesty and manner of dealing with colleagues. “I think no one should doubt this,” Sadiq said, adding that the reality of the matter had become clear after a phone call made in Ashraf’s presence the previous day.
Read More: Probe completed on extra protocol for Pinky
Tarar, upon the speaker’s invitation, spoke on the matter. Drawing on his three decades as a criminal lawyer, he said the tactic of naming prominent personalities was a well-known criminal ploy.
“These shrewd criminals usually use such tactics to take the names of various famous people and try to connect so that all the attention is diverted to that and the attention is distracted from the case,” he said.
Tarar assured the house that the government would inquire into why the woman’s lawyer had made the statement, and whether it was based on reality. “If it was based on reality, then that investigating officer shall be brought to task,” he said, adding that the matter would be reported back to the house.
Tarar also announced that instructions would be issued to the inspector general of police that bringing the suspect to court for remand did not need to be televised. “She should be brought to the court quietly, in a cordoned area, whatever is to be said should be presented in the court, in a closed room,” he said.
The matter was referred to the Interior Committee.
