Photo courtesy PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday rubbished any form of “dictation” from PTI Chairman Imran Khan, reiterating that the National Assembly would decide when the next general elections will occur.
Addressing the National Assembly after Khan ended his party’s ‘Azadi March’ and warned the government that he would return to Islamabad in six days if a date for general elections were not announced, Sharif warned that Pakistan was facing many crises and he would not succumb to any dictation by the PTI’s “mob” to proceed toward fresh elections. However, he said, he was open to negotiations and urged the PTI to return to the National Assembly and work with the government.
“The doors for talks are open; I can form a committee,” he said to Khan, adding that politicians should always opt for negotiations for acceptance of their demands rather than try to exert pressure. “Imran Niazi, let me make myself clear, you can dictate someone at home, but you cannot blackmail or intimidate the House,” he said.
Discussing the fallout of the ‘Azadi March’, the prime minister claimed that the PTI chairman was repeating the same mistake he had made in 2014, when he staged a 126-day dharna in Islamabad that failed to dislodge the government. He regretted that a policeman had been martyred—constable Ahmad Kamal was shot dead by a PTI worker in Lahore—stressing that the same had happened in 2014 when police personnel were merely performing their duties.
Referring to the government’s high-handed response to the PTI’s long march, he said law enforcement agencies had been working to prevent the “unconstitutional” and “bloody” marches. He also slammed the PTI for not showing any remorse for the killing of the police constable. “They sprinkled salt on the wounds [of his family]; can there be anything crueler than this?” Praying for the martyred policeman to forgive the PTI leadership, he announced a relief package for law enforcement personnel who had sustained injuries during Thursday’s clashes.
During his speech, the prime minister also slammed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan for being involved in the PTI’s long march on Islamabad, asking when the machinery of a province had ever been used to attack the federation in the past. “Has a province ever led an attack on the center? A province’s chief minister helped attack the center,” he claimed.
Addressing the damage done to the federal capital by PTI workers—trees were burnt near D-Chowk and a metro station was also set on fire—he vowed that the incumbent government would work for the development of the country regardless of how many things the PTI burned. “Are we moving toward anarchy or development? Will we choose the path for Pakistan’s development or for the country’s destruction?” he said. “The one who talks about the Billion Tree Project set the trees on fire,” he said of the PTI’s flagship tree plantation drive.
Criticizing the slogans used by the PTI during its march, he questioned their use of the word ‘jihad’ to describe their movement. “Who exactly were they waging jihad against?” he asked, emphasizing that the Lower House of Parliament would not permit anyone to use religion for personal gain.
Sharif admitted that the government was faced with several challenges, but said he was ready to “fight for Pakistan’s progress to the best of my ability.”
Earlier, the prime minister praised the NA and its members for passing a bill to abolish the former government’s election reforms, such as the use of electronic voting machines in general elections and granting overseas Pakistanis the right to vote from their place of residence. “The National Assembly has laid the foundation of free and fair elections by passing this bill,” he said.