If revealed, opposition leaders’ phone data leak will spell doomsday: Rashid

Railways minister says opposition will neither resign nor bring in no-trust motion against PM Imran

LAHORE:

The recent revelation of off-the-book meetings of opposition politicians with the military leadership has kicked off a storm in the country’s politics which refuses to abate. The man who whipped up this political storm claims he is holding back much more which, if revealed, would spell doomsday for many.

“I’ve only spoken about [off-the-book] meetings [of politicians with the military leadership]. If phone data revealed, then a political apocalypse would ensue,” said Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, who is known for his political prophecies based on his closeness with the powers that be.

It was Rashid who had first disclosed that senior politicians from the opposition PML-N had met the army and intelligence chiefs twice in two months. The revelation came on the heels of a scathing outburst by PML-N founder Nawaz Sharif against the security establishment at a multiparty confab of the opposition in Islamabad earlier this month.

Sharif’s speech received widespread coverage in the Indian media due to its strong anti-establishment undertones. Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sharif had done India a favour by criticising the national security institutions of Pakistan.

While speaking to the media in Lahore on Friday, Rashid said Sharif’s speech appeared to have been scripted by Indian steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal. Sharif was accused by political rivals of promoting his family’s business ties in India at the cost of national interest during his time as the prime minister of Pakistan.

The railways minister blamed Maryam Safdar for the woes of Nawaz Sharif, who has been declared a proclaimed offender by the court following his refusal to return to Pakistan to serve out a seven-year jail term handed to him by the court after his conviction in a graft case.

Observers say Maryam’s political narrative and confrontationist approach has pitted the PML-N against the powers that be, thus spawning troubles for the opposition party.

The multiparty conference has agreed to mount a movement to oust the PTI-led government of Premier Imran Khan, but political analysts believe tiding over mutual distrust among the opposition parties might be a challenge.

Rasheed also believes the opposition alliance would not be able to put up a serious challenge. “These people [opposition parties] would neither resign from the assemblies nor would they bring a no-confidence motion in parliament,” he claimed. “They won’t stage a long march either.”