Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has claimed that interviews of economists for the seat of the caretaker prime minister are being conducted in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The statement comes as former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh returned from the US after the Sindh High Court granted him a ten-day transit bail to Sheikh and ordered NAB not to arrest him. Reportedly, he was accorded extraordinary protocol at Karachi Airport on Tuesday.
Talking to media in Rawalpindi, he said key decisions would be made before May 31.
شیخ رشید کیا کہ رہے ہیں
1/2 pic.twitter.com/1k0VHnLhaE— Asad Kharal (@AsadKharal) May 18, 2022
Responding to the government’s resolve to complete its constitutional tenure till August 2023, Rasheed said it would dig its own graves if they postponed the election. He said the Punjab Assembly is already gone after the SC verdict, while the federal government is on thin ice too.
Criticizing PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur-Rehman, AML Chief Sheikh Rasheed said the coalition government is only united for ministries and media, adding Zardari has got ministries for free.
He said it would be better if the date for new elections were announced before the Long March.
Read more: PML-N decides election be held on time
He said Imran Khan has appreciated the Supreme Court’s verdict over the presidential reference on article 63-A of the Constitution announced on Tuesday. He said we respect the army, and there’s no denying that the judiciary plays a role.
He also claimed that FIA would withdraw cases against Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Asif Zardari, and Faryal Talpur. He added that NAB, ANF, and FIA prosecutors are preparing to drop the cases, but the institutions are not neglectful anymore.
Govt to get legal advice on SC verdict
On the other hand, the government has decided to solicit legal opinion on the Supreme Court’s decision regarding dissident members of the former ruling party.
On Tuesday, the government’s coalition partners also vowed that the current setup would complete its term in August 2023 and supported ‘tough’ decisions to revive the crippling economy.
Read more: Collaborators in the “foreign-funded conspiracy” should be charged with treason: Sheikh Rasheed
The meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, insisted that the decision of the ruling coalition would be shared with the military establishment.
Reportedly, it was also decided to carry out legal, constitutional, and electoral reforms before going into the general election phase.
Election to take place after reforms: Fazl
Maulana Fazlur Rehman also vindicated the government’s stance, saying that the coalition government would move towards elections only after introducing electoral reforms in some areas.
In an interview with BBC Urdu, Fazl said, “The election process will now be finalised through mutual consultation.”
“If there is any division in the civilian institutions then redressal is possible; however, if there is division in the defence institutions or if civil institutions are turned against the national security institutions, then the whole country pays the price,” he asserted.
Talking about Imran Khan, he said Imran Khan was not removed from power through a “foreign conspiracy” but was voted out by the Parliament. He said the PTI chairman was “installed on the throne of Islamabad under a foreign conspiracy,” recalling that he also said the same when Imran Khan was made the country’s prime minister.