PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said the two-week-long “drama” concerning the country’s defence institution, pertaining to the appointment of the new Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief had become a “joke” in front of the world.
Iqbal said: “Today the whole administrative machine of Pakistan has been rendered dysfunctional. The one remaining [effective] institution of ours — the defence institution (Pakistan Army) — the drama that has been made of it for the past two weeks is a joke in front of the world.”
“Sometimes the prime minister threatens that the [military] commander can be removed like [famous Muslim military commander] Khalid bin Waleed and sometimes he says the promotion of army commanders in Riyasat-i-Madina was on the basis of merit — which is perhaps not happening today on merit which is stinging him,” he said.
“This is the drama happening in Pakistan,” he remarked, adding that the country was an atomic power and yet “the world is looking at us and laughing.”
Iqbal said the country had been thrust into an economic crisis and alleged that the government had done nothing the past three years except for “pursuing fake cases” against its opponents.
According to the PML-N leader, no decision-making process was left nor was “any institution spared from their ignorance”.
In a presser, Iqbal said the economic situation had forced the common man to scream out in distress. He termed the recent hike in petrol prices by the government an “atomic bomb of inflation” dropped on the people.
He said a further increase was expected in a few weeks in the prices of petrol and electricity.
“If you look at the gas situation, the worst gas crisis in the country’s history is coming in December because these incompetents did not do gas deals in time,” he claimed, referring to the government. “They are unsuccessful in energy management even after three years.”
He alleged that the government was only concerned with pursuing fake cases against its opponents and “looting with both hands while hiding behind the garb of honesty”.
Iqbal said the current setup was actually “Riyasat-i-Mehngayee” (state of inflation) as opposed to Riyasat-i-Madina.
“Imran Khan plays the religious card only to pull a curtain on his incompetency and failures. Religion’s name is taken so he can hide behind religious sentiments and remain safe from criticism.
“Can leaders swallow foreign gifts in the state of Madina? The question doesn’t even arise,” the PML-N leader said, criticising the government over its reluctance to divulge details of gifts given to the prime minister.
Iqbal cautioned that the country stood on the edge of a crisis, saying if the current administration was not sent packing then “the country’s problems will become insoluble.”
“That is why the parties of the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) have decided that we will run a decisive movement and send these fake rulers home.”
The PML-N leader further said his political party was united and standing like a “strong cliff”, rubbishing reports of a “war of stances” within the party.
“Parties aren’t weakened by [different] stances but rejuvenated by the war of stances. [Political] parties are weakened by battles of leadership. There is no war of leadership in the PML-N,” Iqbal claimed.
“There is only one leader whose name is Nawaz Sharif and from Shehbaz Sharif all the way down to the worker, everyone accepts his leadership so these ridiculous debates which are stirred have no link to the PML-N’s unity and strength,” Iqbal said.
He alleged that the PTI’s media cell was responsible for these efforts and no heed should be paid to them.
Iqbal said PML-N had served the country and now the National Highway Authority’s reports were “singing praises” of the PML-N’s projects.
“It is being acknowledged that projects during the PML-N’s tenure played an exemplary and fantastic role in Pakistan’s development.”
