TAXILA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) central leader and former special assistant to prime minister Malik Amin Aslam said the PTI should not be pushed against the wall.

He was talking to journalists after addressing party workers on Sunday.

Commenting on the government’s move to arrest the PTI chief, he said Mr Khan enjoyed immense public support, adding no one should think of “sidelining him from mainstream politics”.

Mr Aslam said that the PTI chief had already announced that he was ready for a political discussion, adding those who were attempting to arrest the former premier “are trying to derail the conciliatory process”.

Referring to recent public participation in anti-government rallies by PTI supporters, he claimed that the masses across the country had already decided to support the opposition party even before electioneering.

Assailing the government’s performance, he said it failed at all fronts and there was no government standing in the country while the state’s affairs were being run through “auto-pilot” mode.

He said ever increasing inflation, skyrocketing prices of kitchen commodities and massive increase in the prices of electricity, gas and petrol had made the life of the public miserable.

He added that the PML-N government failed in managing the economy and the country was stuck in a quagmire of debt.

He was of the view that the only way out of this crisis was to conduct clean and transparent elections.

Responding to a question about division of party ranks over the award of tickets in the district, he said differences of opinion always remain in every party at every level and we hope that everybody would accept the decision of the party leadership in the award of the provincial and national assembly tickets in Attock.

He said he would file an application for a ticket for the National Assembly while his son was vying to contest for the provincial assembly seat.

Kite flyers arrested

During a crackdown against violations of the Kite Flying Act, police arrested 21 flyers, sellers as well as manufacturers and registered 21 first information reports (FIRs) against them under Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance 2001 besides recovery of more than 2,161 kites and 43 strings.

According to a police spokesman, police intensified crackdown against manufacture, sale of kites and use of metallic strings as Basant was celebrated on Sunday.

Special operations were carried out in various parts of Taxila and Wah against those involved in this dangerous game.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2023