Marriyum Minister said PDM is organizing a peaceful demonstration at the Supreme Court because the COAS is “not willing” to sit down with Imran.
ISLAMABAD:
According to Monday’s statement from Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Army Chief General Asim Munir is “not willing” to meet with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan and discuss interfering in the country’s democratic processes.
A member of the ruling coalition, Aurangzeb told Al Jazeera that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was holding a peaceful demonstration before the Supreme Court because of constitutional violations.
“Our workers are disgruntled over some of the recent decisions of the Supreme Court,” the minister told the Qatari TV station. “Our workers will lodge our protest, but we will not set the building on fire,” she continued.
She reassured everyone that the vote would take place on schedule. She went on to say that elections would be held “after we complete the constitutional tenure” since “there is a Constitution, there is a law, that will, of course, take its own course.”
She added that there was “no objective” to be reached by detaining former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9. She further said that the PTI leader was ignoring his pending corruption charges.
The administration did not detain Imran Khan. She clarified that the agency conducting the investigation into his alleged misconduct was the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), as required by law.
She mentioned that the foreign funding issue, the Al Qadir Trust case, the Toshakhana case, and the Tyrian White case were the four biggest corruption charges against the PTI chairman. The minister claims that Imran resorted to violence instead than answering the cases.
She referred to recent looting and arson attacks on public and private property, such as ambulances, metro bus stations, and hospitals, and called Imran Khan a “fascist” for instigating such violence.
He had put people in a number of various installations. She further said that the entire party leadership was keeping tabs on how many members had made it to Jinnah House (the Lahore Corps Commander’s home).
The government made wise decisions and showed moderation. “We don’t believe in political victimization,” the minister emphasized to the interviewer. “Imran Khan’s actions have contributed to the political instability in Pakistan.”
What do you expect when a party leader is inciting violence on [the] streets,” Aurangzeb said when asked if the internet and social media blackout in the country sounded like martial law.
The minister, however, insisted that the government and the security agencies did not make a “miscalculation,” adding, “we chose not to use it and dealt with the situation very maturely.”
The minister assured the questioner that the economic future of Pakistan was secure. “We have successfully dealt with economic challenges in the past,” she remarked. As the saying goes, “the government has the will and experience to lead the country on the path to development.”
In a separate statement released on Monday, the minister said that individuals responsible for vandalizing martyrs’ shrines, storming strategic government facilities, and torching mosques, schools, ambulances, and cattle had been apprehended.
The minister responded to a recent comment by Imran by saying, “Since terrorists, armed groups, and gangsters have been arrested, according to the law, then whom you are asking to be ready.”
The minister claimed that PTI head Imran, who was sitting luxuriously in his Zaman Park home, was the “mastermind of terrorists and enemy of the country” and that he would not be allowed to rekindle the fire that Imran had started.
