PM forms panel for talks with opposition: Sheikh Rashid

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Friday that Prime Minister Imran Khan had formed a committee to hold talks with the opposition but stressed that no deal would be offered to the looters and plunderers of the national exchequer.

Addressing a news conference at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) offices, Rashid said that he himself [the interior minister] would be the head of the talks committee. He added that the prime minister had also instructed that the passport of Nawaz Sharif should not be renewed.

Rashid restated his earlier statements that Prime Minister Imran Khan would not offer any deal to the opposition because he was committed to holding the looters and plunderers of the national exchequer accountable.

He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed him not to renew the passport of former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, as leaders like him used the innocent people to achieve their personal goals.

When asked about the Broadsheet issue, Rashid said that neither in the Panama Papers case nor in the Broadsheet case, the PML-N leaders gave any answers about their assets or the money trail, but only resorted to propaganda to hide their lies and corruption.

Rashid reiterated that the government would not stop the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) from holding a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on January 19 if they would abide by the law and the Constitution.

He added that the opposition could use its constitutional right to protest but warned that the law would take its course if the opposition tried to create any unrest. “The government is not afraid of the PDM protest, but it’s time to see whether or not the opposition respects the law and the Constitution.”

The minister advised the PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman – who also heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) – to refrain from creating division and unrest in the country; otherwise, the government would be forced to take action.

The minister said that he had already predicted that the opposition members would never resign from the assemblies. He added that the opposition members would backtrack on their resignations when they would be asked about it by the speaker during personal hearings.

He said that he had also predicted that the opposition would take part in the Senate elections and the upcoming by-polls. He added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was playing wisely for its political gains under the PDM umbrella

Responding to a question regarding the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), he promised comprehensive reforms in the agency to enhance its performance and minimise the chances of errors. The reforms, he added, would be introduced soon.

When asked about the Pakistanis being deported from foreign countries, the interior minister said that a law would be introduced to show leniency towards those deportees who travelled abroad to earn their livelihood.

Earlier, he said that instructions had been given for setting up two more NADRA offices, while 100,000 free-of-charge identity cards would be issued to people. He added that visa issuance system had been made online to facilitate the Afghans and other aspirants.