Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry has said that the legal proceedings have been initiated against ‘dissident’ members of PTI under Article 63-A of the Constitution.
In a press conference following interview of PTI lawmakers announcing their support for the no-confidence motion against the premier, federal ministers lashed out at the opposition for their foul play.
Fawad said some members from the party were going to vote according to their conscience.
“I want to tell those shameless persons that as the people had voted for them in the name of Imran Khan, and if they had any grievances against the party leadership they should tender resignation and contest the election again,” he said.
The central leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he said, was receiving phone calls from the enraged party workers belonging to the constituencies of the dissidents. He, however, urged the workers not to take the law into their hands, though protesting was their right.
“It is astonishing that huge sums of money were shifted in planes from Sindh where the people were even deprived of basic facilities like clean drinking water,” he added.
He said the Sindh House in Islamabad had become another Changa Manga where the conscience of parliamentarians was being purchased by the opposition traders like horses and mules.
“As of now, I am not certain whether they are kept in the Sindh House under any pressure or not,” he said while referring to those PTI MNAs, who have emerged before the media from the Sindh House.
Fawad said the prime minister was very clear that the PTI would not resort to blackmailing, wheeling and dealing, or horse trading for saving its government as it negated the promise the party had made with the masses before the general elections that it would not pursue the traditional politics.
“Our real target is the D-Chowk, Islamabad where the biggest gathering of the country’s history will be held on March 27,” he said, adding the government would foil the no-trust motion with the public support.
Turning his guns towards Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif, he said the two had introduced the culture of corruption in politics.
He said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid as an ally of the government had proposed to the prime minister to impose “governor rule” in Sindh as the provincial government had committed flagrant violation of the Constitution by sending provincial police, besides shifting sums of money to Islamabad.
The minister said deliberations would be held on the proposal of Sheikh Rasheed who was not only the important ally of the government but also the interior minister of the country.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said the government would not take any unconstitutional step to impede the opposition’s no-confidence move against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The opposition has committed a great crime of horse-trading by detaining the PTI members in the Sindh House,” he said.
The minister added that the opposition’s move showed that they wanted a civil war in the country.
“The federal government has not retaliated yet and if it acts the situation could be worse,” the minister added.
Asad said Prime Minister Imran Khan used to say that the opposition leaders first earn the money through illegal means and then use that money to seek power, and their current move has proved him right.
“I want to tell them that Imran Khan’s politics is based on his principles and ideology. The PM has never done politics for the sake of his own benefits.”
Unlike the opposition leaders, he neither blackmailed anyone nor was he blackmailed by anyone, he added.
Asad said PTI would continue its fight against the opposition’s “ill moves” till last time but it would not adopt any unconstitutional measure for the purpose.
“These persons (opposition leaders) only use the name of democracy to run their business,” he added.
Responding to a question, Asad said the government was in contact with the opposition legislators, but it would not offer any money like the opposition leaders.
Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said Prime Minister Imran Khan had exposed the dirty politics of opposition parties.
“The public money looted through corruption is being utilized for horse trading,” he said adding that the nation had witnessed that Imran Khan was against the system based on corruption, bribe and horse trading.
“The members of National Assembly (MNAs) were being paid Rs200 to 400 million for changing their loyalties.
He made it clear that the PTI leadership would not bargain for saving their government, as they were doing politics for the people. The government had funds of billions of rupees at its disposal, but the same would not be utilized for bribing, he added.
The minister said all the allied parties were being engaged.
He urged PTI workers to continue their preparations for March 27 rally at the D-Chowk to make it the largest in the country’s history.
