LAHORE: The fate of 200 million people could not be given in the hands of any inexperienced person, former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday referring to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan.

He said stability and continuity in policies was critical for the progress of the country but there was no consistency in the political views of Mr Khan. “He could not even decide on the nomination of caretaker chief minister in Punjab,” Mr Iqbal told reporters at the Lahore High Court.

Earlier, the former minister appeared before a full bench in the contempt of court proceedings against him.

He criticised Mr Khan for being an inexperienced person questioning that how a person could run a country who had never contested a local government election.

Mr Iqbal said the country was facing challenges. He said before the government of the PML-N in 2013, more than 40 people would fall prey to terrorist attacks every day and it was his party that brought the peace back to the country.

He said he never disrespected the courts. “My contest is not with the courts but with the mindset behind the life attempt on me,” Mr Iqbal added.

Earlier, the bench headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi observed that the speech in question of Mr Iqbal was on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor but he dragged Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar in it.

Mr Iqbal requested the bench not to show his speech under scrutiny on projector during the Wednesday’s hearing as his counsel was not available for arguments. However, the bench turned down the request and ran the video of the speech in the courtroom.

Mr Iqbal reiterated his commitment to the respect of state institutions and said he had just made a personal complaint to the chief justice in his speech. The bench adjourned hearing till June 22.

The bench also sought more arguments from the lawyers of contemnors facing contempt proceedings for holding an anti-judiciary rally in Kasur.

PML-N’s former MNA Waseem Sheikh, Ahmad Latif, Nasir Khan and Jamil Khan appeared before the bench. Hearing was adjourned till June 25.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2018