Rashid asks dissident MNAs to rejoin PTI

A day after two dozen lawmakers of the ruling party openly rebelled and sought refuge at the Sindh House, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Friday asked them to return to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), assuring them that “no one will say anything to them”.

While speaking to the media in the federal capital, the minister asked them to consult their constituencies and their voters about their opinion on their decision, warning them that they would “regret” their decision if they did not return to the party fold.

Rashid asked estranged members, as well as allied parties, to stand by Prime Minister Imran Khan at this critical juncture. He added that “international investors” did not want Pakistan to have an independent foreign policy.

He also said that 2,000 personnel of Rangers and 1,000 of Frontier Constabulary were called for deployment in the capital for ensuring security.

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Commenting on the possibility of the federal government imposing governor rule in Sindh, the interior minister said that he had presented a summary to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the matter, however, no decision was taken so far during PTI’s parliamentary committee meeting.

Rashid said that while the government had information regarding the presence of about five or six lawmakers, the videos released had shown more. He, however, maintained that the government was not going to raid the Sindh House.

He also said that the country could not afford a political confrontation given Pakistan's economic condition and added that the opposition parties would be facilitated in holding their planned rally in the federal capital.

The interior minister also said that the premier would address the biggest rally on March 27. He said that the government still wants issues to be resolved through mutual understanding, as democracy is about listening to one another.

The interior minister maintained that the nation stood with the prime minister.

Regarding the no-confidence motion, Rashid said that the National Assembly (NA) speaker would decide on the date of the voting.

He said that the period between March 24 and April 3 would be hot for Pakistani politics, as the opposition too was holding its meetings.

He added that directives were issued to the Islamabad deputy commissioner to decide mutually routes of both the rallies.

“We have a lot of security responsibilities,” the interior minister said, adding that the parade of the country’s security forces would also be held on March 23.

He said that all four matches of the Australian team have been shifted to Lahore, and 3,000 police personnel are deployed on the team’s route.

The ongoing power struggle turned ugly for Prime Minister Imran even before the no-confidence vote as around two dozen disgruntled MNAs of the ruling PTI came out in the open on Thursday.

Taking refuge at the Sindh House in the federal capital, several of them gave interviews to different anchor-persons, saying they had parted ways with the ruling party and would not contest the next elections on a PTI ticket.

The interviews of the turncoats and footage running on TV channels showing them present at Sindh House came at a time when the opposition parties, including the ruling party in Sindh, have been attempting to oust the PTI government through a no-trust motion.

Before the situation unfolded, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders said that the government was planning to attack Sindh House on the grounds that the opposition had detained some ruling party lawmakers there ahead of the no-trust vote.

Prior to that, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader, Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi, said in an interview that around 10 to 12 government lawmakers were in “safe custody” of the opposition.