Rallies don’t bring govts down: Sheikh Rashid

Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was targeting the judiciary, army and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) but their rallies and processions could not bring the downfall of the government.

Talking to media in Multan, Rashid predicted that there would be few people in the protest gatherings. He added that the opposition parties in the PDM have different agendas. He said the situation would normalise in February next year and there would be Senate elections in March.

“The target of the opposition is the judiciary, army and NAB,” the minister said. He told reporters that there would be “a big sweep” in the political landscape by December 31. “The situation will normalise by February 20 and Prime Minister Imran Khan will get a majority in Senate elections in March,” he added.

Speaking from his own experience of 126-day sit-in led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2014, the minister said that the courts determine the fate of democracy because the government could not be overturned through rallies and processions.

“We also used to say that the government is going today or tomorrow but those all were political statements,” the minister told reporters. [When we were] in the opposition, we also used to say that the government would not remain by next month,” he added.

“Even the PTI people get angry with me but it is true. We held the protest for 126 days but we could not topple the [then Nawaz Sharif] government. Finally, we had to go to court because despite the 126-day sit-in. The government did not budge,” he added.

Rashid fired a trenchant of criticism against the opposition politicians particularly against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He called the opposition leaders a “bunch of vested interests” who wanted “every decision” in their favour.

“Nawaz Sharif himself is sitting in London and telling the people to come out,” the minister said. “Nawaz Sharif is the creation of former of military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq,” he said, adding that the PML-N supremo has no role in the future.

However, the continued, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif wanted to sort things out and did not want to be part of the ongoing opposition politics. On the other hand, he continued, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was acting sensibly.

The railways minister said that the government had given the opposition permission to hold rallies and processions. He those opposition workers who wanted to reach the rally venue, would reach there by themselves. He urged that there should be no arrest of any political workers.

Responding to a question, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed acknowledged that inflation had risen in the country but added that Prime Minister Imran Khan would end inflation this year and control the price hike.