Fawad Chaudhry warns Punjab, KP governors of Article 6 if polls delayed
ISLAMABAD, Feb 02 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry made it clear that the election was the sole panacea to the prevailing problems currently confronting the country and those who were creating obstacles in holding the polls within 90 days were violating constitution and would face Article 6.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Fawad Chaudhry, who was flanked by PTI senior leaders Hammad Azhar, Shahbaz Gill and Ali Nawaz Awan, said that the imported government compounded the miseries due to the backbreaking inflation and resurgence of terrorism. He said that at the time when the whole country was under trauma due to tragic Peshawar blast, the imported government was busy in taking revenge as Sheikh Rasheed and Imran Riaz Khan were arrested and a case was registered against Shandana Gulzar, which were condemnable. He raised question that who was wise enough to advise the imported government to file cases against their opponents.
Fawad warned that the country cannot afford confrontation and division at this time. Therefore, he said that it was high time to take confidence building measures to help bridge the fast widening fissure, because the policy of arrests, coercions, threats and political victimizations was no more workable. He warned that the use of power could further complicate the matter, as efforts were afoot to destabilize Pakistan.
Fawad went on to say that the PTI did not want confrontation with the institutions because the government cannot run without their support, but PTI just wanted that they should not support the puppet, incompetent, inapt and crooked government unnecessarily. “We want that institutions should accept supremacy of constitution and law and should respect human rights and accept public right to elect their leader through their power of votes,” he added.
Talking about the peace during PTI government, Fawad said that PTI government under leadership of Imran Khan succeeded in controlling the terrorism affectively as no major terror incident took place at that time despite the fact the region was passing through major transitional period, as the process of the US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan was going on. He raised question that who was spreading chaos and anarchy in the country when Pakistan needed stability and peace.
He said that Imran Khan knew the leadership of Afghanistan and was cognizant to the fact that war was no solution to problems that was reason, he launched a peace initiative which was widely welcomed and peace restored in the country.
Fawad said that PTI government played a lead role in safe evacuation of foreign diplomats and journalists stranded in Afghanistan after the abrupt US troops’ withdrawal. “We brought the country back to tourism from terrorism within nine months,” he added. However, he stated that the imported government confused policy and non-seriousness reversed all the hard-gains of the PTI government in short span of few months.
Fawad stated that Bilawal Bhutto visited America more than 17 times but not once to Afghanistan because he did not now the sensitivity of the issue.
Similarly, he said that imported Shehbaz Sharif did not call a single meeting on the issue of Afghanistan, adding that the imported government was so confused that no one knew what they wanted.
Lashing out at the Khawaja Asif, Fawad said that he blamed Imran Khan for the resurgence of terrorism in the country, but fact was that there was no bomb blast during PTI time. He said that country was at crossroad as it has inflation on one side and terrorism on the other side.
Fawad warned that peace cannot be achieved by turning Pakistan into a graveyard. However, he said that the time when the country needed a political dialogue, the government was busying in booking the PTI leadership in different cases including seditions. He said that under the policy of political vendetta, they first arrested Shahbaz Gill, then Azam Swati, him and now Sheikh Rasheed were arrested. He said that Shandana Gulzar has also been charged with treason.
He said that if MNAs from Mianwali and Jhelum were traitors who else could be patriot in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan cannot afford of division at this time. He stated that Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was behaving as if there was Governor Raj, adding that caretaker Chief Minister Punjab could not be elected even as a councilor.
Fawad stated that Nawaz Sharif was running the country by sitting in London, while dummy governments have been formed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. He said that the governors had no option but to hold polls within three months otherwise they would face article 6. He said that if elections were not held within 90 days then there would be no government and martial law would be enforced automatically. He went on to say that they had no way to escape the election come what may so better to hold immediately to avoid any further loss.
Fawad went on to say that the PDM crooked leaders were trying to manage Imran Khan but they neither succeeded in managing Imran Khan nor government. “They have destroyed the country in their attempts to manage Imran Khan,” he remarked. He said the Sharif and Zardari families have no political future. “Whenever the PTI government comes, a new opposition will be born in Pakistan,” Fawad added.
Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Azhar said that the dollar free flight continued and it crossed the level of 270 today. He said that the IMF team was currently in Pakistan and warned of hyperinflation. “The country needs stability at this time because political stability directly proportioned to the economic stability,” Hammad added. Without elections, there can be no stability in the country; hence elections should be conducted the country sans any further delay to get the country out of the prevailing morass.