LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday hinted at returning to National Assembly for caretaker setup, claiming to be in contact with “several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers”.
“If we don’t return [to National Assembly] then they (government) will form the caretaker setup in consultation with Raja Riaz as they don’t have any ethics,” he said while talking to senior journalists in Lahore.
Imran said that they have a plan in place for National Assembly, saying that they were in contact with several PML-N MNAs. “Shehbaz Sharif is going to have sleepless nights… we will test them (PML-N MNAs) first then will add them [to party folds],” he said.
He said that “Bajwa doctrine” is still in progress and “political engineering” is taking place in the country.
Responding to a question regarding local body elections in Karachi, the PTI chief said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) cannot win without rigging but also admitted weak party structure in the city as the cause of poor performance in Sunday’s polls.
Imran said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was supposed to increase petroleum prices but did not, therefore, he added, International Monetary Fund (IMF) will not release funds and the foreign exchange reserve would deplete further by $2 billion.
He emphasised that the future of PML-Q was with PTI. “If PML-Q contests the election with the symbol of bat then they will win… I also want this coalition mechanism to end,” he further said.
In a bid to give his successor a taste of his own medicine following winning the trust vote in Punjab Assembly, Imran Khan on Saturday said that his party had decided to put Prime Minister Shehbaz to acid test through “different plans”, including a confidence vote in parliament.
The PTI chief announced the decision to turn the tables on the prime minister in an interview with a local TV channel.
“Certainly, we will fully test him [Shehbaz Sharif]. He tested us here [in Punjab]. Now it’s his turn to face the music,” he said while responding to a question if his party can ask the premier to obtain a confidence vote.
The deposed premier, who was ousted from power in April last year via a vote of no-confidence moved by the then opposition, said a decision about the confidence vote date and other plans to put the incumbent government to the test will be taken by the party in today’s meeting.
