Rallies, sit-ins democratic right of leaders: Khattak

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has said that staging protest sit-ins, rallies and criticising the government are the democratic right of all political leaders including Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Talking to media during his visit to his hometown Nowshera, he said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman had already staged a sit-in in past and is allowed to do it again as no one will stop him.

Regarding the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding invoking Article 6 of the Constitution was to know that who had told him that the government is on its way out and on whose instigation Maulana had talked about the overthrowing of the government.

He said that if someone wants to overthrow the government without any reason, then whoever he is will have to face proceeding under Article 6 of the constitution. The federal minister, who is also chairman of the negotiation team with the coalition partners of the government, said that the ruling party has no issues with allies and there were only small issues, these were highly propagated.

He said that their coalition partners will remain their allies and the government will complete its constitutional term. Similarly, he said that they are in contact with opposition either it is PML-N or PML-Q all have consensus on legislation. Otherwise, he said that opposition is fully allowed to play its role and justified to criticise the government and stage public meetings and rallies within the ambit of law.

The defence minister said that Pakistan is passing through a critical situation and national solidarity is dire need of the time. He said that keeping in view the prevailing regional and situation at frontiers and stubbornness of India and her atrocities on the Muslims of Occupied Kashmir, they should have to learn lesson and should think of Pakistan.

Regarding price hike, he said that they inherited a devastated economy that forced the Prime Minister Imran Khan to take hard decisions. He said that in first instance, the PTI government saved the country from default.

He said that Prime Minister Imran wanted the resolution of the problems of poor and mitigation of their hardships and is fully aware that price hike and unemployment are at peak and poor are living miserable life. But, unfortunately no one is ready to pay taxes and the whole burden has come on the poor.

He said that the revival of the economy has begun and now the Prime Minister Imran Khan has started work on the arresting of price hike and unemployment, saying that the utmost priority of the government is to make Pakistan stand on its own feet.

The PTI stalwart said that like rulers of past, Prime Minister Imran Khan could have passed its period through obtaining debts. He said that debts obtained by the rulers of the past has indebted the people.

The Constitution of Pakistan, he said, guarantees the provision of free education, health and other basic amenities of life to the people and the Prime Minister has started the implementation of the same principles. He said that they will also take the benefit of the expertise of Turkey as fifteen years back Turkey was also in grip of debts and the people were aggrieved. However, with the assuming of the power by Tayyap Erudgan usher an era of progress and development in that country.