Three former prime ministers have warned the secretary interior, Islamabad Police and the administration that if the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government resorts to a police action in the Sindh House tonight, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed will be responsible for the consequences, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.
In their joint statement, former prime ministers namely Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Raja Pervez Ashraf and Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have made this clear to these officials to stay away from what they called ‘politics’. “Don’t become part of the country’s politics,” reads the statement.
They are of the view that if the police and the capital city’s administration act to foil the no-confidence motion, that will be a breach of the constitution. “And those violating the constitution and assisting the government in foiling the motion will face the music,” they have said, adding any crackdown on members of the National Assembly (MNAs) will be deemed to be an attack on the parliament. “Any police action akin to that was carried out in Parliament Lodges against the opposition MNAs a few days back will invite penalties,” ex-PMs have said categorically.
The former PMs have opined that already the prime minister and the interior minister are finding it hard to complete the numbers in the NA to foil the motion. “And to make matters worse, they are planning a police raid on the Sindh House,” they alleged.
They have gone on to say that all such tactics being employed by the government showed that the premier had lost majority in the lower House of the parliament.
Ex-PMs have said now that very person who has the habit of warning his opponents of ‘retribution’ has been dumped by his associates.
Reporter: Awais Kiani