LAHORE, Minister for Information, Broadcasting, Culture and National Heritage on Thursday said swift and rigorous accountability of the ‘ring leader of anarchist group’ was long-overdue, for his misadventures to sabotage the national interests.

Addressing a news conference, he said that “Irrefutable and glaring” evidence came forth after an investigation of the former spy chief Faiz Hameed that showed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder was the real mastermind of the conspiracy against the country.

The May 9 arson attacks on the sensitive installations and writing of a letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the PTI leadership for sabotaging the agreement, were the clear indications of the conspiracy, he added.

The minister said the whole nation witnessed the misadventures of the ‘group of anarchists’, hell bent upon creating chaos and instability.

He welcomed and lauded the decision of the institution to hold its former ISI chief accountable under its self-accountability initiative which ought to be followed by all institutions.

He referred to the press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations that indicated that three retired officers had also been taken to the custody after the investigation of former spy chief Faiz Hameed. The political instability and chaos was apparently created on the behest of the PTI founder, he added.

He said the conspiracy was handiwork of the PTI leader, for fomenting instability in the country.

Tarar said that it seemed that Faiz Hameed was somehow involved in the politics as he worked to foil the no-confidence motion against the PTI founder. Nobody would be allowed to harm the national interests for some vested interests, he added.

He said the current investigation might lead to the arrest of more individuals who were involved in anti-state activities.

The minister wondered that now the PTI founder had distanced himself from those conspiracies despite his direct messages from the jail to carry out the negative motives.

He said efforts were underway to prevent chaos and bring political and economic stability under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The prime minister, while delivering his speech on the occasion of August 14, had announced the launch of home-grown economic reform programme for the next five years which was bound to progress, he added.

Tarar said the government had stabilized the rupee, and did reduce petrol and electricity prices through prudent economic policies.