PM rules out option of allies in new set up

LAHORE:

Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out the option of keeping allies in the new set up, saying that the coalition government is susceptible to blackmailing.

“This time we will form a government with majority of our people – ‘ideological workers’,” Premier Imran said while addressing a public gathering on Tuesday.

PM Imran said there was no place in the party for people with vested interests and “conscientious objectors … sincere and sacrificial workers will be brought forward”.

Earlier, a meeting of the PTI’s Central Executive Committee was held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of PM Imran in which the formation of a parliamentary board was approved.

According to sources, the Central Parliamentary Board will formulate a policy regarding candidates and distribution of tickets. In this regard, the prime minister directed for speeding up preparations for the elections.

During the news conference, PM Imran announced that the next general elections would be held within three months across the country, saying that this time the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would distribute tickets only among its ideological workers after proper consultation at grassroots level.

He admitted that in the past, his party committed mistakes while distributing tickets, which resulted in paying a heavy price, however, he said: “We learn lessons from our mistakes”.

Commenting on the recent developments, the PM said, “A conspiracy was hatched [to oust him] from abroad and our people became traitors in the move.”

He expressed the hope that people would reject such a move and teach a lesson to those politicians who become part of the foreign conspiracy during the forthcoming general elections by burying their politics forever.

“These traitors have planned to end the country's independent foreign policy and we will fight against them at all costs at all fora,” he maintained.

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The prime minister, referring to his main political opponents JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman, PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif and PPP’s Asif Zardari, said that the three stooges had been plundering the national wealth for the last 30 years and stashing it abroad. “They can say that beggars can’t be choosers owing to their vested personal interests,” he added.

He said a drama had been staged in the country. “The PTI defectors who had sold their party allegiance were put together at a local hotel in Lahore.” With such shabby tactics, he said, the democracy, future of the coming generations and solidarity of the nation had been put at stake.

The prime minister said that those who had been elected on the PTI seats or the reserved seats sold their conscience for the sake of a few million rupees, adding that a lifetime ban on such traitors would be ensured.

He said such elements were traitors of the nation, the country and the coming generations, adding that unless they were punished, they would continue bargaining over democracy for petty monetary gains.

The prime minister said with such a trend, any foreign country could purchase the loyalties of the lawmakers and topple an elected government. He resolved that they would fully confront them legally, adding that the case was taken up by the Supreme Court.

“All those are traitors who have played a part in the foreign conspiracy,” he said, adding that the entire nation would resist such trends as it was a defining moment, and would not let the conspiracy succeed as it had put the country’s future and democracy in peril.

The prime minister also called upon his party workers to stage daily protests in a peaceful manner against the traitors, especially the US for its involvement in the no-trust motion against him, saying that he would be attending a protest gathering at F-9 Park in Islamabad on Wednesday (today).

During his Lahore visit, the prime minister also met with PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Chaudhry Moonis Elahi who called on him at the Governor House. They deliberated on the current political situation in the country and matters of mutual interest.

 

 

(With input from APP)