Inflation to witness gradual decline as relief package in the offing: Khawaja Asif
ISLAMABAD, Dec 20 (SABAH): Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that former prime minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan was relying on those who have their own political preferences. He said, if Imran Khan’s politics was on down trend those on whom he was relying; they according to their history have never supported the drowning people.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed these views while talking to media persons outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) here on Tuesday.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi, former federal minister Daniyal Aziz Chaudhry, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Romina Khurshid Alam and Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training Division Mohtarma Zaib Jaffar were present on the occasion.
Commenting on the current political situation, Khawaja Asif said, a no-confidence motion had been moved in the Punjab Assembly against Chief Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker and its result would come in the next two-three days.
Khawaja Asif said the last card to dissolve the provincial assemblies played by Imran Khan had also not worked, rather every day a new thing was revealed about his (Imran Khan) Toshakhana gifts. He said people came to know that wife of Imran Khan [murshid] was doing what kind of business under the leadership of Imran Khan by selling the Toshakhana gifts.
He said it was unfortunate that the people who do not care about political norms and values, had reached the power corridor and occupied high positions during the last tenure. The minister said with the grace of Allah Almighty the no-confidence motion moved by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) against the elements, who come into power by committing corruption, would succeed.
He said now Imran Khan was now speaking against the people who were kind enough to bring him into power. “If you (Imran Khan) have failed to deliver, it is your mistake, not the others,” he added. The minister said the PDM government was trying to heal the wounds given by the past regime of PTI to the national economy.
He said it was Imran Khan’s narrative that the country could only survive if he remained in the power, adding the PTI chairman was in the habit of appreciating state institutions if they give verdicts in his favour. He said it was unfortunate that Imran Khan was now maligning the state institutions for his political gains.
The minister said it was the number one priority of the federal government to provide relief to the masses and reduce the prices of the commodities used by the common man. He expressed confidence that inflation would start witnessing a gradual decline as the government intended to introduce a comprehensive relief package for the people in the coming days. The minister recalled that the government, a few days back, had reduced the prices of petroleum products and electricity for benefit of the common man.
To a question regarding the Bannu incident, he said, the situation was under control and a comprehensive statement about the incident would be issued soon. He regretted that all the leadership of the PTI of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was sitting in Lahore, and the law and order situation was getting worse in the province.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Daniyal Aziz Chaudhry said that it was a misconception that the PTI would get a two-thirds majority in the next general elections, He said, if the trend of the by-election prevailed, the PTI would get fewer seats as compared to the last general elections.