LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Mashhood has said that by demanding setting up of technocrats’ government, Imran Khan has exposed his real agenda.

He said this demand was tantamount to a slap in the face of political leaders, including those in the PTI, who had rendered sacrifices for democracy.

He expressed these views while speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Mashhood said Imran Khan was the first politician who had withdrawn the right of rule by the people’s representatives. He said the desire of resignation of an elected prime minister and setting up of a technocrats’ government was violation of law and conspiracy against democracy.

He claimed that all district and tehsil bar associations across Punjab had rejected the long march.

He said the PTI chairman had got isolated as he had made PTI a B-team of the PAT by joining the so-called Maulvi (Tahirul Qadri).

Answering a question, the minister said the PTI was a political force and the government would provide it a chance for taking out the march provided it sat with the administration and settled the security measures and route.

He said the government could not leave its citizens at the mercy of terrorists as sleeper cells of terrorists were working in the province. Quoting intelligence reports, he said the assassins of an organisation had come from abroad and been deputed on the long march route.

He claimed that 21 “terrorists” had been identified and 20 had so far been rounded up.

He said if Tahirul Qadri handed over the PAT workers who killed police officials through violence and set private and public properties on fire to the government, dialogue could be held with him as well for giving way for ‘inqilab’ march.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2014