GUJRAT: PML-N leader and Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has dared PTI chief Imran Khan to go for protest rallies so that the federal government could leave the negotiations, saying every political step of Mr Khan during the last one year has failed like a flopped movie.

Speaking to a media conference at his hometown, Sialkot, on Sunday, Asif said Imran Khan had organised at least three long marches last year but they all failed.

He tendered resignations from the National Assembly, then started seeking their rejection and later dissolved Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies. Now speakers of both these assemblies had filed petitions seeking restoration of these assemblies, Asif said, expressing surprise at the moves of the PTI chief and his party leaders.

“Every political move of Khan has only benefitted the ruling coalition instead of paying dividends to the PTI whereas the PTI leadership has been abusing its previous facilitators. It should be an eye opener for its new facilitators that how this man (Imran) treats the people after getting benefits from them,” the federal minister said.

Referring to a recently leaked audio of conversation involving the son of former chief justice Saqib Nisar, he said the audio had exposed the pollution in the mind of the then chief justice of Pakistan against the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He blamed the nexus between the then judiciary and PTI-led administration for the chaos, causing economic losses to the country.

Criticising the advice by judiciary for talks between the political parties, Khawaja Asif said with all due respect, the judiciary had adopted the role of a Panchayat instead of giving verdicts as per law and the constitution which was its actual role.

Responding to a question, the PML-N leader said the timing of Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country would play a vital role in the politics and the PML-N would decide the appropriate time for the return of its supreme leader. However, he indicated that Nawaz might return before the October election this year.

Mr Asif criticised the former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi for ending his lifelong affiliation with the Muslim League to become the president of the PTI as Imran Khan used to call him as the biggest dacoit of the province whereas Mr Elahi would often take on the establishment and military leadership for changing ‘the nappies of Mr Khan’.

The federal minister said some elements in Punjab had purchased the USD at Rs300 in the recent past that indicated how much public money had been plundered and then shifted to Spain.

Responding to another question, he predicted the next fiscal year’s budget to be public-friendly with relief to the salaried and poor classes as economic conditions would improve after the financial assistance from some friendly countries. He said the government had fulfilled all the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that too would hopefully release the installment.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2023