ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had finally understood that the elections would be held on time and the coalition government would complete its constitutional term.
“His announcement for continuing his Tehreek (movement) for 10 months shows that Imran Khan has realized the elections will be held when the government completes its tenure,” she said while addressing a news conference.
Condemning the death of a female reporter, a child, policeman and an elderly man during the long march, she said the government would ensure protection to the lives and property of the people at all cost.
She said the husband of reporter was coerced for not initiating legal action against the death of his wife during the long march. The Punjab government should hold thorough investigation into the incident, she demanded.
The minister said Imran Khan had nothing to do with the appointment of new army chief as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had legal and constitutional right to appoint the new chief.
She said only one news channel was trying to give Imran Khan a face-saving by claiming in every evening that he had to leave for “important talks” but it was the PTI chief who, himself, refuted such dialogues.
The minister said the matter of fact was that Imran’s politics and long march was based on nothing but threats, abuses and beseeching.
She said the real story of Imran’s long march was exposed by the apex court which was also misled by the PTI legal team.
Replying to media queries, she said the government had nothing to do with the long march if it marched towards Gilglt Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Azad Jammu and Kashmir. However, the federal government was fully prepared to deal with the long march if it entered in Islamabad.
She said Imran was trying to create rift between KPK, Punjab police and the federal one, utilising resources of both the provincial governments on the long march.
The constitution clearly stated for requisite measures if any unconstitutional step was taken anywhere in the country, she added.
The minister said nobody could even imagine that a lady (Tayyba Gul) could be “abducted” in the Prime Minister house to blackmail the NAB chairman. The head of FIA was also “locked up” in the Prime Minister’s Office washroom when he refused to register false cases against the opposition.
She said Imran did all this by using his power and used all the state resources to victimize his political opponents, but he could not produce a single evidence in the court to prove false cases of corruption against them.
“If Rana Sana Ullah is a murderer then why did your government arrest him on the fake charges of carrying drugs,” she said, adding the PTI government failed to produce a single piece of evidence before the court of law to prove the false cases against the PML-N leadership.
She said he would have dissolved the provincial assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab if he had a desire for election. He could have dissolved the National Assembly on knowing about the so-called regime change conspiracy in March, but the election was never among his priorities.
He only wanted to cling to his throne that was why he made offer to the army chief for the lifetime extension.
She said the country was stabilizing as the impact of the four-year rule of Imran Khan, which was marred with incompetency, inflation, unemployment, loot and plunder, was receding.
Marriyum said the country was put on the path of development and progress with the same vision and spirit followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif who brought peace and prosperity by reducing prices of essential commodities, electricity and gas during his previous government’s tenure.
Soon after the ouster of Imran Khan from power, she said the PTI started politicking over the difficult decisions taken by the coalition government due to the violation of the IMF agreement by him (Imran) to save his government.
She said the coalition government had to implement the IMF agreement, which was signed by Imran Khan, to save the country from the default. Imran Khan was responsible for the extreme inflation in the country during the previous months, she added.
The minister said the inflation was decreasing, foreign exchange reserves were increasing and the rupee had been strengthened due to the extra ordinary efforts of the coalition government which ushered in the country’s stability.
The relief had been passed on to the masses despite the revival of the IMF agreement, she said while citing free and smooth transfer of flood relief assistance to the affectees and historic Kissan package as testimony of the government’s remarkable performance.
She said the Kissan package of around Rs 600 billion launched by PM Shehbaz was of sheer importance and would ensure bumper crops in the upcoming season as it was witnessed during the previous tenure of PML-N government.
The minister said the package included soft loans for the farmers, small and medium enterprises and fixation of electricity price at Rs. 13 per unit for them.
She said wheat had been imported with heavy heart, but at an affordable prices with best quality.
She recalled that the previous government exported the sugar first and then created artificial shortage to benefit the wheat and sugar mafias who increased the sweetener prices on the pretext of its import.
Marriyum said the nation had witnessed the prime minister’s whirlwind visits to the flood-affected areas. He had been on forefront in working out the initiatives for the welfare of flood victims.
The PM also made extra ordinary efforts to reverse the damage inflicted by the Imran led government on the country’s relations with the friendly states.
She said the entire world was reviving its investment in the country which was either halted or withdrawn during the four-year rule of Imran Khan.
She also gave credit to the prime minister for revival of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which halted and made controversial during the four-year rule of Imran Khan.
She thanked the media for giving massive coverage to both the visits of PM Shehbaz to Saudi Arabia and China keeping in view their importance for public.
Marriyum said the economic stability and foreign direct investment in the country would create job opportunities for the youth which was rendered jobless due to massive corruption in the four-year rule of Imran Khan.
