PESHAWAR: Former interior minister and Awami Muslim League president Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has criticised Shehbaz Sharif for taking oath as the country’s prime minister ahead of his indictment in corruption cases.

He demanded the announcement of general election schedule before May 31 to ‘prevent anarchy’ in the country.

“This is an irony that a sitting prime minister is pleading the court to adjourn his cases as he (PM) is performing his official duties,” Mr Rashid told reporters after inaugurating his party’s office here on Thursday.

The AML leader, who was the interior minister in the last PM Imran Khan-led government, warned that the holding of general elections should be announced before May 31 otherwise the country would descend into anarchy.

Without naming Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz, he said that ‘another’ person was seeking adjournment of corruption cases against him saying he was going to assume the Punjab government’s top office.

Mr Rashid claimed that majority of the federal cabinet’s members had secured bail from courts in corruption cases against them.

He said the people were set to rise in revolt as they didn’t accept the current ‘imported’ federal government installed with the support of Jewish and imperialist forces.

The former minister said the previous government did commit ‘some political blunders’.

He said the current government had come into being with a thin majority in the National Assembly and could collapse anytime.

Mr Rashid said the so-called allies had joined hands against PM Imran Khan with the then opposition after approval by the Jewish lobby.

He said Mr Imran and his followers wanted justice and peace and if that didn’t happen, there would complete anarchy in the country.

The former minister said general elections were the only solution to the current political crisis.

He said millions of people were waiting for the call of ex-PM Imran to march on Islamabad against the Shehbaz government.

Mr Rashid said Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa should order the opening the doors of all jails to free all inmates as ‘small thieves’ were languishing in jails and the big ones had become the prime minister and federal ministers.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2022