I am waiting for PDM resignations, says PM Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan challenged the Pakistan Democratic Movement leadership to hold long march in Islamabad. He said that if the PDM sit-in survives one week in Islamabad, he would start considering resigning from the PM office.

He expressed these views while talking to a private channel on Friday. Talking about resignations of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he was waiting for their resignations from the assemblies. He said that most of the opposition parliamentarians would not submit their resignations. 

“Army is a government institution and it works under me. I am heading all the state institutions,” said the prime minister. 

He said that Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa always supported the democracy in the country. He said that he knew him very well. General Bajwa believes in democracy, he added. He said that General Bajwa did not react to opposition’s allegation against him. He said that Army always supported the government in every crisis so far. 

“There is a feeling of resentment in army after PDM leaders’ speeches against Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI Chief General Faiz Hameed,” said the PM. 

He said that opposition blaming the establishment for not helping them to win the 2018 elections. He said that the PDM was trying to put pressure on the army to remove the elected government. He said that opposition could be booked under Article 6 on this provocation.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that General Ziaul Haq offered him a ministry in 1988 through his son Anwarul Haq. He said that General Zia launched Nawaz Sharif against the Pakistan People’s Party. Nawaz contributed nothing to the politics, he added. 

He said that PDM Minar-e-Pakistan jalsa was a flop show. He said he was specialist of holding long march and public gatherings. He knew how to take the public to the streets. He said that Hussain Haqqani supported the PDM. 

Talking about Senate elections, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he wanted to end horse trading in the Senate polls. He said that government wants early elections. Although, he said, the open balloting did not suit the incumbent government. He said that the PTI was the only party which took action against the horse trading in the last Senate polls and expelled 20 KP MPAs from the party. 

He said that the government would move the Supreme Court for interpretation of open balloting. He said that Attorney General said that government could hold the election through show of hand without doing any amendment to the constitution. He said that the government would also move the Election Commission Pakistan for early elections in Senate. 

The premier said that government wanted deportation of Nawaz Sharif. He said that Nawaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar and his family fled to London on the pretext of sickness. He said that extradition is a long process so government will try its best to get back Nawaz Sharif through deportation. 

Responding to a question on Asim Saleem Bajwa, he said that he was not NAB. He said that he made institutions independent. He said that it was not his duty to arrest the corrupt people. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that no Pakistani official went to Israel. He said that Pakistan would not accept Israel as per the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 

He said that he did not go on leave for even one day. I did not go abroad on private visits. 

He said that three foreign investors are keen to invest in Pakistan Steel Mills. He said that government has limited jobs. Private sector will provide jobs on large scale, he added.