Prime Minister Imran Khan has categorically said that he would not give in to the opposition's demand for him to step down, Aaj News reported.

"Let me be very clear that I will not resign on opposition's demand," the premier told a select group of journalists at the PM Office on Wednesday.

He said it appeared as if the JUI-F chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, is backed by foreign elements, adding that even his charter of demands is not clear. "However, we will allow them to hold their 'Azadi March' protest [peacefully] in Islamabad."

The premier said the JUI-F's likely sit-in in Islamabad is completely different from the one his party staged in 2014. "We came out on streets after exhausting all possible options ... which platform the Maulana [Fazl] has used [to address his grievances] before coming out on streets? ... Attention is being diverted from the Kashmir issue because of this march. We must think who will benefit from all of this."

APP adds: Prime Minister Imran Khan said with the economic indicators depicting improvement, the government's efforts to stabilize the country's economy had started bringing positive results.

Urging the media to support the government in highlighting the positive image of the national economy and boosting investors' confidence, he said despite the critical conditions the government had brought about improvement in the economic indicators.

The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting here with senior journalists and anchorpersons.

Various subjects, including the situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) and the government's efforts to highlight Indian atrocities on the innocent Kashmiris at international level, measures for economic stabilization and their results, and the political situation were discussed in the meeting, a PM Media Wing press release said.

Talking about the IOJ&K situation, the prime minister said the government would continue to make every possible effort to highlight the Indian government's atrocities against the innocent Kashmiris internationally.

It was due to the government's efforts that the Kashmir issue had been internationalized as the foreign media was highlighting the situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

The prime minister said the deployment of 900,000 Indian troops in the held valley was meant to suppress the voice of Kashmiris through force and violence. India, however, would never succeed in its objective, he added.

He said after the Pulwama incident, the present government effectively exposed the false Indian claims and moves before the international community. Pakistan would continue to extend its diplomatic, moral and political support to the Kashmiris, he added.

As regards the country's political situation, the prime minister said the present government fully believed in democratic principles and that was why it had constituted a negotiating team to hold talks with the opposition, which had full liberty to exercise its democratic right.

However, that right should be used in accordance with the country's law, Constitution and the decisions of higher judiciary, he added.

Responding to a question about the health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he said he had directed to provide the best medical care to him.

The prime minister said since the country belonged to all and everyone had to think about its betterment. The media was also a stakeholder in the country's progress and development, he added.

He said the cooperation of media was required to bring about stability in the country and in tackling the challenges it was facing.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019