ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Wednesday asked the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of major opposition parties to come to Islamabad before March.

Talking to media outside the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headquarters, he said that the PDM has announced long march on Islamabad in the month of March but it would be better if they came before March.

“If they (PDM) want to come to Islamabad then fulfil their desire. They have announced long march in the month of March, it would be better to come earlier,” he said. He said that we have staged 126 days long sit-in in the capital city but it made no difference.

About Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif, he said that though he termed resignation as “an atom bomb”, it would turn out to be a kind of “sparkler”.

He hoped that resignation will not contain “political atom bomb” because the PPP believes in the political process.

Rashid said that the PPP never become a production of “gate number four”.

The interior minister said that PPP always supported the democratic process.

Some elements of the PDM want to take a dangerous course against democracy and want it to put it in a closed street.

About resignations from national and provincial assemblies announced by the PDM, he said that members of political parties first submit their resignation before the party president therefore members of the PML-N will submit their resignation before its president Shahbaz Sharif. He said that he is sure that Shahbaz Sharif will move forward with positive thinking.

Rashid said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has made it clear that we were ready to hold dialogue with the opposition on every important issue except the corruption cases. He said that he hope PPP would play a positive role in the current political situation.

“The Shahbaz Sharif I know is the supporter of dialogue,” he said.

He said that currently there are 400 people on the Exit Control List (ECL) and I have issued directives to curtail the number of people on the ECL.

I have announced Rs2 billion funds for the FIA, he said, adding that he visited the FIA for the first in his life.

The minister said that he has directed the FIA to improve its capacity and address reservations of the public. I have ordered the director general (DG) FIA to make 2,000 fresh recruitments in cyber crime wing and other departments, he said.

Rashid also said that the interior minister has played a vital role in the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s action plan but his ministry will make effort to further upgrade.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020