Not interested in alliances, declares Imran

Absolutely no possibility of entering into any sort of alliance with any of parties in Parliament, says Khan.

ISLAMABAD:

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is out to seek new partners for an electoral alliance he plans to form ahead of upcoming general elections – but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan is not interested.

“There is absolutely no possibility of us entering into any sort of alliance with any of the parties currently in Parliament. They are corrupt and have brought misery upon people,” Imran told a news conference on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Sharif said in Lahore that he was planning to establish contacts with all political groups hostile to the governing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in order to establish a broad-based alliance.

He did not mention, however, if his plans also include a rapprochement with Imran’s PTI.

Insiders in the PML-N said most of the party’s leaders had advised Sharif to seek some kind of cooperation with Imran to avoid what they feared could be a massive erosion of their vote bank.

The news conference was held in connection with a religious leader joining the PTI and Imran used the occasion to elaborate on his ideal to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state.

“The purpose of the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent stands nowhere if we can’t make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” Imran said.

The PTI chief also warned the government of a tsunami march on Islamabad if Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf did not obey the Supreme Court’s orders to write a letter to Swiss authorities.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN FAISALABAD.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2012.