Rashid vows to stand with Imran if there’s ‘war with institutions’

Ex-interior minister says elections should be announced before May 31

ISLAMABAD:

Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that if there is a war with institutions, then he will stand by former prime minister Imran Khan like a rock because he considers him to be on the right side.

In an interview with a foreign news agency, the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief said that all matters with the army were going well and they were on the same page, but suddenly misunderstandings emerged between them, which should not have happened.

پاکستان کے سابق وزیرِ داخلہ شیخ رشید احمد کہتے ہیں کہ وہ فوج سے صلح کے حامی ہیں اور اس کی کوششیں بھی کریں گے۔ لیکن اگر لڑائی ہوئی تو عمران خان کے ساتھ کھڑے ہوں گے۔ ملک کی موجودہ سیاسی صورتِ حال پر @ShkhRasheed کا انٹرویو دیکھیے وائس آف امریکہ کے علی فرقان کے ساتھ۔#VOAUrdu pic.twitter.com/KcI9Kcj6ge

— VOA Urdu (@voaurdu) May 2, 2022

He said that while the Pakistan Army is a great army and supports every elected government, something happened that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) left them along with half of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). He added that they made a mistake somewhere.

Rashid said that he had been saying for a long time that March and April were important months. He added that he was in favour of reconciliation with the army and efforts were made, but no response has been received so far.

He further said that their only demand is fair and transparent elections. “We are with the army and as long as this government is in power, let it govern,” he added.

The former interior minister said that the public’s sentiments are in front of everyone and the date for the election should be announced till May 31. “If we come to Islamabad then we will not leave without an election date,” he said.

Also read: Rashid accuses top PML-N leaders of plotting to kill him

Commenting on the success of the no-confidence motion, Rashid said that he had full confidence in MQM-P, which is why he was confident that the government would survive it. However, he added, the day MQM-P announced support for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the government lost.

He said that he has known the MQM-P for decades and they do not generally make mistakes, but this time they “made a mistake”.

Regarding the incident at Masjid-e-Nabawi, the former minister said that he said that wherever these people (government) goes, the people will express their feelings by calling them thieves. He said that while the numbers were few in Madina, if the rulers go to London, a million people would stage a protest against them and they would have to go in armoured vehicles.

The AML chief said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should not stand against institutions, rather they should work with the institutions to fix the date of the election. “I will play the role of mediator in this,” he said.

Also read: Police action sought against Rashid for ‘inciting hooliganism’ in Madina

However, he added, if there is a war with institutions, he will stand with Imran Khan like a rock. But, he further said, attempt should be made to make peace.

“Rawalpindi is my constituency and all institutions are my constituency; the Pakistan Army is my army, but in this fight, I consider Imran Khan to be right,” the former minister said.

He also made it clear that he does not want democracy to end and the only way to avoid that is by holding early elections. He said that Imran too does not want martial law, rather he wants elections, and is ready for talks and negotiations with the government.