Opp warns PM, interior minister of 'serious consequences' if Sindh house raided

Imran Khan has lost the confidence of the majority and the House, says opposition

ISLAMABAD:

The opposition warned that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid will be responsible for any consequences if the federal capital's police force raids Sindh House on Friday night. 

Former premiers Yousuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi issued the joint statement and urged the interior secretary, the police and the Islamabad administration to not become part of politics.

The warning by the opposition parties comes a day after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the Sindh House had become a hub of horse-trading, where members were 'placing bids' and strict action was being planned against it.

Fawad's statement came shortly after the interior minister's, who had dismissed the PPP’s claims of a planned 'assault' on Sindh House and said ‘no action’ was being planned against the premises.

Later in the day, Rashid advised the premier to impose governor’s rule in Sindh and debunked claims made by what he called  “blackmailers and vote sellers” who were part of PTI and clarified that there was no danger to any lawmaker’s life if they stayed in Parliament Lodges.

Read More: Security czar presses PM for governor’s rule in Sindh

The statement today warned of "serious consequences" if the action conducted at Parliament Lodges was "repeated" and added that those who help the incumbent government in violating the Constitution of Pakistan "must be punished".

The opposition also said that the premier was unable to maintain a simple majority of 172 members in the house, therefore, he was trying to "abduct" the police and the administration of the federal capital. 

“Imran Khan has lost the confidence of the majority and the House,” the statement said. “Everyone one is leaving him."

"The National Assembly speaker’s indifference to police terrorism, violation of the Constitution and criminal silence is proof that he is subject to the party leader instead of the Constitution.”

Those who attack democracy and parliament will be brought to justice, the statement said further.

On Wednesday, addressing a public gathering in Swat, Prime Minister Imran Khan had lashed out at the opposition parties, saying their leaders were sitting in Islamabad’s Sindh House with “bags full of money” to “buy the loyalties of government lawmakers”

PM Imran said, “bags of notes” were being used from Sindh House in Islamabad for horse trading and “buying conscience” of the members of parliament like “Nawaz Sharif did in Changa Manga in the past” and added that the opposition parties were resorting to “malpractice” to protect their corruption.