Planned no-confidence move: Interior minister steps up criticism of leaders of opposition parties

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Monday said the opposition move to table ‘vote of no-confidence’ against the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government would fail and those who escaped from the jail would be under the clutches of the law again.

“Whether you wanted to bring no confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan or Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, you have to bring 172 votes for the success of no trust move,” Rashid said while addressing a press conference.

He said that defeat was the opposition’s fate.

“Opposition is saying umpire is neutral but when they will face defeat in no confidence motion they will blame their umpire,” he said, adding it would turn out to be a movement of satisfaction for Imran Khan and the movement of no confidence over opposition.

He also said if something happened unusual Imran Khan would not stay home.

The minister had earlier stated the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would not come to Islamabad on March 23.

The opposition would submit an application on March 10 for requisitioning of the National Assembly session, and the session would be held on March 25 to March 26, he said.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan would emerge victorious in all crises.

“It seems from the faces of the opposition that they will face defeat. Prime Minister Imran Khan has laid foundation of an independent foreign policy and gave a clear message to the imperialist forces that Pakistan’s soil would not be used for drone attacks,” he said, adding despite, rising prices of petroleum products in the international market, the government had reduced the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs10 per litre.

About investigation of the suicide blast at a mosque in the Koocha Risaldar area of Peshawar, the interior minister said “the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police have apprehended big terror gang and six associates of attackers involved in mosque blast have come on our radar.”

He said the government had no issue with Aurat, Hijab, and Ulema’s march but they should inform the administration about the time and the venue. “We have information that foreign powers want to destabilise Pakistan,” he said.

To a question about the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s long march, he said that no hurdle would be created in the PPP’s long march and the government would provide security to them. The PPP would be permitted to stage public gathering at D-Chowk, he said.

He also appreciated the PPP’s decision of change the route of its long march in the wake of the test match between Pakistan and Australia at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium.

The minister said there would be local holiday from March 22 to 24 in with connection with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s foreign ministers’ conference in which the foreign ministers of many Islamic countries would participate.

A historic Pakistan day parade will be held on March 23, as J-10C aircraft would also be a part of the fly-past.

Rashid said that due to Sehat Card people were getting treatment in private hospitals, while the beds were vacant in the public ones.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022