LAHORE, May 8: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan has rejected the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz claim that he had been taken into confidence before calling off the long march back in 2009.
He has also urged Yousuf Raza Gilani to resign as prime minister after detailed judgment of the Supreme Court convicting him in a contempt of court case.
“I was approached by the ‘petroleum minister Chaudhry’ only after Nawaz Sharif had made the decision of calling off the long march in Gujranwala,” he said here on Tuesday when asked whether PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar had not contacted himregarding cancelling the march.
Nawaz had, in a talk with editors and senior journalists on Monday, claimed that Imran had been consulted before terminating the protest midway.
The PTI leader told a questioner that the PML-N was not courageous enough to announce dissolving the Punjab Assembly and resigning en bloc from the National Assembly to pave way for general election.
He alleged the N-League wanted to choose its own umpires by getting appointed caretakers of its choice for the next polls.
“The PML-N will not quit the Punjab government as it is afraid of the PTI and is not willing to risk its political clout in Punjab.”
He said both the PPP and the PML-N had passed the 20th Amendment to ensure use of state machinery in their constituencies because they were aware that they could not face the PTI in free and fair polls.
Asked why MNA Awais Leghari, who had recently joined the PTI, did not resign his seat while the party was demanding the PML-N MPs to tender their resignations, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said resignation by a single person couldnot make a difference but by 89 to 90 (PML-N) MPs could.
Imran lamented that the PPP government was making the country a laughing stock by continuing with a convicted prime minister.
He said in a democratic civilised country, the ruling party itself would have barred a convicted prime minister from working while here not only the PPP but its allies were also supporting Gilani.
“It’s collapse of morality. The attitude of PPP and allies is damaging democracy and moral values.”
Rejecting the impression being given by the PPP that by not taking up cases against the Sharifs the judiciary was showing partiality, Imran said bringing the criminals to the dock was the responsibility of the government.
Referring to Rehman Malik’s corruption charges against the Sharifs, he said the four-year delay by the interior minister meant that the government wanted to use corruption charges to blackmail the opposition and not to curb corruption itself.He said if the government was serious it should take the allegations to court to test impartiality of the apex court.
Earlier, former PML-Q Senator SM Zafar’s son Asim announced joining the PTI. He said he had always been inspired by the personality and vision of Imran.
He said the PTI chief had many similarities with his father SM Zafar.Mr Zafar said his party (Q-League) was in the opposition when Asim consulted him on joining the PTI, but he advised his son to wait and then gave him a green signal when the PML-Q joined the PPP-led government.