ISLAMABAD : Interior minister, Shaikh Rashid Ahmad , has said he has advised prime minister , Imran Khan, to call early elections in the country after announcing budget , 2022-2023. He, however , clarified that advising the prime minister for early elections after presenting ,5th budget of PTI government was his personal ‘opinion’ and it should not be taken as an official statement . The Addressing a press conference on Saturday the Interior minister maintained that he has advised the prime minister to call on next general elections in the country as the ‘Foolish’ opposition has increased popularity of prime minister and his party PTI to new highs . The Interior minister said it was up to the prime minister to take his advice for early elections in the country or not.
“I am convinced that the foolish opposition has provided a golden opportunity for PTI to go for early elections in the country and win to form government again”, the Interior minister asserted .
He claimed that the opposition’s act of filing no confidence against the prime minister has turned the opposition into a persona non grata for the masses.
“The people switch over to other TV channels when they saw faces of the opposition leaders on their TV sets”, the minister noted. He reminded to the Shahbaz Sharif it was his brother , Nawaz Sharif, who had targeted the state institutions and their leadership . He said now the same Shahbaz Sharif was portraying in his statement that Nawaz Sharif has great respect for general Qamar Javed Bajwa and the army
Where is your brother’s narrative of ‘Vote ko Izat do’. Shaikh Rashid mocked Shahbaz Sharif and said PMLN’s narrative of ‘Vote ko Izat do’ was on sale at shops .
Shaikh Rashid Ahmad added that the
is the first time he saw on TV that Pakistan People Party (PPP) member national assembly, Jam Abdul Karim who was involved in murde if Nazim Jokhio was staying in Dubai and has not surrendered.
The Interior minister said
“We will arrest him from the airport. We have not received any notice regarding bai. We will also send his name to Interpol tomorrow as the Sindh Home Department will not send his name because they (PPP) need his vote.”
The interior minister said he had spoken to the Sindh inspector general of police, adding that the MNA’s name was already on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) — a 30-day temporary travel restriction introduced in 2018 as an alternative to the more tedious Exit Control List (ECL).
“We will arrest him and hand him over to Sindh police,” he said. Referring to the PPP, he said, “Look at the condition of this party that even absconding murderers are being brought back from Dubai for the no-confidence vote. This means their legs are shaking.”
He further said that the interior ministry would hold take a decision today (Saturday) and it would be followed by putting Karim’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL).
A day earlier, a two-member bench of the Sindh High Court granted 10-day protective bail to the lawmaker. The MNA, along with his brother MPA Jam Awais and others, was booked for allegedly torturing Jokhio to death as he had tried to prevent his foreign guests from hunting houbara bustard. The Interior minister declared in clear terms that no party will be allowed to block routes
Shaikh Rashid Ahmad said his ministry would cooperate with opposition parties in connection with their upcoming rallies as well as the no-confidence vote. However, nobody would be allowed to block another party’s route, he warned.
“It is a very important day in Pakistan’s democratic history which is why everybody should display responsibility. The interior ministry is open 24/7 and we will try [to ensure that] the law and order situation is maintained. God forbid, if the opposition makes a mistake, they will pay for it.”
No party had been granted permission to hold a sit-in, he said, assuring that all opposition members would be provided protection.
The onus of bringing the required number of opposition lawmakers to the National Assembly was on the opposition, he said, claiming that while dissident members were “enjoying at five-star hotels”, they would be provided security in accordance with the Islamabad High Court’s instructions.
