Resignation not an option, PM will ‘fight till last ball’: Fawad

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan following the departure of key allies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from the ruling coalition.

At a news conference after a federal cabinet meeting, the minister said that that the prime minister would not resign; rather Imran would fight till the last ball. He equated the current political situation to the 1992 cricket world cup in which Pakistan came on top from the brim.

The minister addressed the media after a meeting between the prime minister and the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Responding to a question about the meeting, Chaudhry said that neither the prime minister had been asked to resign nor would he resign.

The minister told the reporters that the prime minster took the federal cabinet into confidence over the ‘threatening letter’. “The letter’s content was shared with the federal cabinet as it was shared by our ambassador with the government under the Official Secrets Act,” the information minister said.

The minister added that the gist of the letter had also been shared with some anchorpersons as well. “In the next phase, we have a plan to table the letter in an in-camera session of the parliament”, while the government had already expressed its desire to share it with the Chief Justice of Pakistan, he continued.

“The kind of language, plan and threats given in the letter are unacceptable to any sovereign country,” Chaudhry maintained, stressing that Prime Minister Imran would continue to fight for the country’s integrity, sovereignty and the respect of the nation.

The minister painted a bleak political future for the dissident members of the ruling party. In addition, he said that the PTI had a firm stand that the Pakistan army was a guarantor of the national security and stability.

Unlike the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which attempted to “conquer” the institutions during its tenures, Chaudhry said, the PTI had been working in close coordination with army for the national progress and prosperity.