Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar calls it a criminal tactic to divert attention and the matter is referred to the Home Committee.
Former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf speaks at a session of the National Assembly on May 20, 2026. Screen recording
Former Prime Minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervez Ashraf told the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday that he had lived an “impeccable life” after drug lord Pinky allegedly named him during a court appearance, an incident he described as an attempted defamation.
On May 18, drug lord Anmol, alias Pinky, repeated allegations of pressure to name certain people, including Ashraf, claiming he was being ordered to implicate them. Pinky, accused of operating one of the city’s most organized narcotics supply networks, was arrested on May 12 during a joint operation by city police and a civilian 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 the court proceedings. However, half an hour later, a second clip appeared in which her lawyers explained that when she went to court they had pressured her to give him her name.
“By the grace of God, I have lived an impeccable life,” Ashraf said in the house. “I have been a member of this house for the fourth time. I am still the prime minister of this country and the president of the National Assembly.”
Ashraf said he initially did not understand what connection it 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 the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, for immediately taking note of the matter and also expressed his gratitude to his party leaders, his family members and, in particular, his political opponents. “I am also grateful to all my friends, family and especially my political opponents, who recognized this problem and openly stated that this is not correct in any way,” he said.
Calling it false and sensational, Ashraf said, “These attempts to defame someone or achieve any other motive must be stopped.”
Read: Sindh IG says investigation into Pinky’s drug network widened when she named ‘certain personalities’
Ashraf said he believed the woman had been used to divert attention from his own case. “This woman had previously taken the name of another personality, and I think this was done to divert attention, to be able to divert the focus elsewhere, or to gain advantage, or to divert the issue in another direction, or to create disputes between people,” he said.
The former prime minister used the occasion to call for legislation against media trials and unverified allegations, and asked Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar to investigate the matter. “No person, whether politician or ordinary citizen, should face a media trial or defamation until the allegations are proven. Every citizen is innocent until proven guilty according to the law,” he said.
“My only request is that no one be defamed for no reason, because I know that this incident had no basis,” he said.
Furthermore, the former prime minister asked the president to establish a system “so that until the investigation is completed, until the investigation is completed, until the case reaches court, all kinds of comments on such matters are not made, because they are not only harmful to society but also amount to tarnishing the honor of respectable people.”
Ashraf also referred to his own experience, saying he had previously endured what he described as a motivated case in which he was honorably acquitted but suffered years of damage to his reputation. “I always say that those 10 years during which your reputation was destroyed, how are you going to restore that honor?” said.
He also addressed direct comments to vloggers “and others who, for the sake of ratings, use misleading headlines and content” to reflect on the practice. “They might make a few dollars off of this, but in my opinion it’s a serious failure,” he said.
Ashraf asserted that everyone should think together on this matter and said the culprits must be punished.
President Sadiq expressed his solidarity with Ashraf and said in the house that everyone knew his dignity, honesty and way of dealing with his colleagues. “I think no one should doubt this,” Sadiq said, adding that the reality of the matter became clear after a phone call made in Ashraf’s presence the previous day.
Read more: Completed research on additional protocol for Pinky
Tarar, at 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 clever criminals often use these types of tactics to take the names of several famous people and try to connect them to divert all attention towards them and distract from the case,” he said.
Tarar assured the house that the government would investigate why the woman’s lawyer had made that statement and whether it was based on reality. “If it is based on reality, then the investigating officer will have to be reprimanded,” he said, adding that the matter will be reported to the house.
Tarar also announced that instructions would be given to the inspector general of police that there was no need to televise the suspect’s appearance in court for remand. “She must be brought to court in silence, in a cordoned off area, everything that is going to be said must be presented in court, in a closed room,” he stated.
The matter was referred to the Interior Commission.
