SUKKUR: Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has said that cases for Madina incident should not be registered in Pakistan and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah should rethink the issue seriously.

Cases should not have been lodged against members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and action should only be taken against the people who took law into their hands in Pakistan, he said, adding if somebody had shown disrespect to the sacred place, only Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) would punish him for that.

Talking to people at different places during Eid days, Shah said: “We do not believe in political victimisation. We believe in democratic norms and will never object to Imran Khan’s democratic right to protest. Whoever wishes to bring millions of people in long march should not be barred and protesters should not be arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest.”

“The government should be careful while issuing statements about PTI’s long march. It should take decisions with consensus as we are their partners in the coalition government,” he said.

He said the present coalition might get stronger by contesting local bodies as well as general election together. Politicians must speak truth before people, if they kept telling lies, it would be dangerous for them, he said.

He said that Imran Khan was now holding big gatherings but he did nothing for the county and rather plunged Pakistan into economic crisis.

He said that when the establishment supported PTI, it was good, and when it declared itself as apolitical it suddenly became bad.

About the National Accountability Bureau, Shah said that the bureau should exist but its law should be amended. “We should make necessary constitutional amendments and electoral reforms immediately so that we should move to general election,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2022