Poor attendance ‘exposed public support claims’

Opposition parties could not muster any substantial public gathering: Yousafzai

PESHAWAR: After rallies by opposition parties in the provincial capital, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai claimed that the public had rejected the call of the opposition parties it could not muster any substantial public gathering.

Addressing a hurriedly called news conference, Yousafzai claimed that poor attendance had exposed the so-called support of these parties amongst the public.

Yousafzai added that rather than blocking opposition protests as was the want of past regimes, they arranged water sprinklers with dedicated teams apart from making a host of other arrangements to facilitate the people coming to attend the opposition’s ‘’Jalsi’’ (small rally).

“Our arrangements were just a gesture of the magnanimity that we have introduced in politics.”

Defending the prime minister, Yousafzai stated that PM Imran Khan had enhanced the value of the green passport.

“No nation will ever look down upon the green passport in the future,” he said, adding that the recent US visit had paved the way for a possible settlement of the Kashmir issue in consonance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

“This is a big stride towards the resolution of Kashmir issue shows the sincerity of Imran towards finding a solution to the long-standing dispute,” he said.

Noting the difference between past governments and the PTI government, the information minister said that previously superpowers used to exert pressure on Pakistan for doing more but now they recognized the sacrifices and contribution of Pakistanis.

To a question, he said that Imran has emerged as an honest leader as declared by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Responding to another question, he said that the premier enjoyed the overwhelming support of the people which was witnessed at the airport upon his return from the US that the opposition’s rallies in the Peshawar could not match that..

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2019.