Rashid advises Imran to resign

Interior minister says ‘the country cannot be run alongside thieves’

ISLAMABAD:

As the fragile government considers its prospects ahead of the no-confidence vote on Saturday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Friday offered a piece of advice to Prime Minister Imran Khan, which he said he had offered three months ago as well: tender resignation.

Rashid, whose own political party is a key ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said that he had advised the premier three months ago to resign from office, and would offer the same advice today as well.

The interior minister’s statement comes after a landmark unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court, which set aside National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling to dismiss the no-trust resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the subsequent dissolution of the lower house of parliament by President Arif Alvi on the premier’s advice.

The 5-0 ruling ordered parliament to reconvene on Saturday (tomorrow), no later than 10:30 am, saying that the session could not be prorogued without the conclusion of the no-trust motion against PM Imran. The judgement came as a major shot in the arm for the opposition and a major setback to the government that's adamant to hold elections in 90 days.

‘Fight till last breath’

Alluding to the joint opposition, the minister claimed he would fight against these “thieves” till his last breath. “The country cannot be run alongside these thieves,” he reiterated, adding that he had advised the premier to resign in the past and would suggest the same today.

Read What will be PM Imran’s next move?

Referring to PM Imran’s claim of foreign powers backing the opposition’s no-trust motion against him, Rashid claimed that “external powers” wanted to take Pakistan’s independence away and that temporary victory was not the real goal as everyone had now been “exposed”.

He hoped for “good” decisions to emerge, adding that PM Imran would address the nation in the evening.

“It is declared that the resolution was pending and subsisting at all times and continues to so remain pending and subsisting.”