PDM treads a dangerous path of chaos: Shibli

ISLAMABAD:

Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said on Saturday the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders were treading an undemocratic path to dislodge a democratically-elected government by creating chaos in the country through their protests.

Addressing a joint press conference with Kashmir Affairs Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Faraz said that the opposition alliance wanted to come into power by toppling the government through unconstitutional and undemocratic means.

“The 11-party alliance, which is known as ‘PDM’, is only ‘democratic’ by virtue of its name, but its narrative has nothing to do with the democratic norms,” Faraz said. “The PDM’s narrative is ridiculous,” the minister added.

Faraz described the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government as a “democratic dispensation” which came to power after winning the general election. The elections, he added, were held in a transparent manner and later verified by international organisations.

Responding to allegations of rigging, the minister said that after 2013 elections, the PTI had approached the Supreme Court for a recount of votes in four constituencies which led to the formation of a judicial commission and later it was proved that rigging had happened in those areas.

Likewise, he added, the question of rigging was also raised by the party at parliament, he recalled. However, he asked, which opposition party had used these forums to raise their complaints of vote rigging.

“Whether these political parties, claiming to be the champions of democracy, have utilised any such platform! Did they go to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) or plead their claim [of rigging] at any legal forum or raise the issue at parliament and in its committees,” he asked

“What evidences do they have?” Shibli asked. He asked the opposition leaders to make the evidences of rigging in the last general election public, if they had any, to justify their claim.

Speaking about the voices of dissent in the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) he said that the views expressed by the party leaders, including those of Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, proved that the party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had vested interests.

Speaking on the occasion, Ali Amin Gandapur said the JUI-F chief had started using threatening language against institutions when asked to give answer to the questions about his properties. “Maulana Fazl will have to answer for his assets,” he said.

Gandapur said Maulana Sherani has levelled serious allegations against the JUI-F chief and exposed him. He said instead of answering the valid questions by Maulana Sherani, Fazl expelled him from the party, which was a non-democratic conduct. (With input from APP)