National institutions stand by govt: Rashid

Interior minister cautions opposition against horse-trading

LAHORE:

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Friday stressed the need for banishing horse-trading from politics and expressed his firm belief that the opposition would fail in its agenda of creating unrest in the country.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will complete its five-year tenure, as all national institutions stood by the elected democratic government,” said the minister while addressing a news conference at the Chief Minister Office.

The minister emphasised that any attempt to derail the democratic government would fail and warned the country could not afford any political adventurism. He added that the opposition needed to realise the intensity of challenges being faced by the country.

“All PTI members and its allies fully support the decisions of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he said. “The allies would always stand by the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Those quitting the alliance at this time will stand nowhere in the future,” he added.

Rashid said that the opposition should not underestimate Imran Khan because the prime minister was aware of the situation and knew well that what decisions should be taken during challenges.

Rashid criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, saying that they were claiming respect for the vote, but it was now contacting the government allies just to achieve their personal ambitions. “Horse-trading should be discouraged in politics,” Rashid emphasised.

“If the opposition’s no-confidence move fails, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be strengthened further. Those who changed their loyalties would not be able to face people in the constituencies in the upcoming elections,” he warned.

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When asked about his earlier statement, suggesting Prime Minister Imran to mend ties with disgruntled PTI leader Jahangir Tareen, Rashid replied that some members within the party did not approve of his suggestion.

The minister firmly believed that the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders who, he said, had abused the national institutions to get power, would “definitely fail” in their agendas. He advised the opposition to prepare for the local bodies elections being held within next three months.

“The opposition is afraid of the accountability process due to which it is trying to derail the government by raising slogans of no confidence motion,” he said, adding that no restriction would be imposed on PPP’s long march and that Rangers would provide them security if they held the march.

Responding to another Question, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that India could not digest the successful visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Russia, therefore, it was spitting venom against Pakistan.