Opposition Parties Relaunch ‘malicious Campaign’ Against State Institutions: Fawad
March 10, 2022
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ISLAMABAD, (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Thursday alleged that the leadership of three major opposition parties had once again launched a malicious campaign against the state institutions for their vested interests.The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in a meeting earlier in the day expressed their serious concern on the opposition’s propaganda campaign against an institution, he said while addressing a news conference where he played multiple video clips of the opposition leaders in which they could be seen giving statements against the national institutions.Fawad started his news conference with the video clip of Tuesday’s joint presser of opposition parties’ heads where Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed his keen interest in “reforming the state institutions”. It was in fact the restart of their attempts to get a stranglehold over the state institutions through their so-called reforms, he added.Both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman wanted to exercise some control on a specific institution as the former had on the Punjab police while he was in power, he claimed.Fazl’s statement, he added, had exposed the opposition’s plans for the “political control” on the institution.“This is not a starter,” he said while playing the documentary of a private news channel on the ‘Memogate scandal’ revealing that the then president Asif Ali Zardari had reached out to the American Establishment to save his government in the aftermath of the Abbottabad episode.The video clips, he said, highlighted how all three leaders, including Asif Zardari, Fazlur Rehman, and Nawaz Sharif had hatched conspiracies against the state institutions.Some video clips showing the PML-N leaders’ critical statements against the state institutions in the wake of the “Dawn Leaks”, were also played at the presser to reinforce the PTI’s claim about the party’s involvement in such campaigns.Commenting on the meetings of Nawaz Sharif, as a prime minister, with the Indian businessmen, he said an Indian journalist Barkha Dutt in her book reported that Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also had secret meetings in Kathmandu, which had not been denied by anybody so far.Modi was continuously spitting venom against the Pakistan Army at that time, but Nawaz invited him to the wedding ceremony of his granddaughter (in Pakistan), he added.One of the video clips also contained an interview of a former Foreign Office spokesperson, claiming that there were standing instructions from the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif barring the FO from adopting the anti-India stance.Commenting on the above clip, the minister said ironically such policy directives were issued from the then prime minister’s office at a time when Modi was giving inappropriate statements against the then army chief.Unfortunately, he said, the politics of the “family of conspirators” still continued as evident from Nawaz’s persistent public onslaught against the armed forces (since his disqualification) and his Maryam Safdar was treading on the same path.A clip of Maryam was also shown in which she was appreciating the party workers for raising slogans against the soldiersAs regards the no-trust move, Fawad said the entire PTI stood firm on the political front and would counter nefarious designs against the democratically elected government with full force.The opposition leaders had sensed their defeat, which was reflected from their gestures and postures in the media, he added.The minister said the opposition, among other reasons for the no-trust move, stated that the prime minister had criticized the European Union. He had already asked the opposition leaders what relationship they had with the EU, he added.The prime minister, he said, had questioned the EU ambassadors as to why they had not written a letter to the Indian government like that to Pakistan on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.Humza Shehbaz and Fazlur Rehman, he said, had earlier in the day criticized the prime ministers for saying “absolutely not” to the United States. They, in fact, were perturbed by the independent foreign policy being pursued by the PTI government.It was now up to the nation to decide as to whether Pakistan should have a free and independent foreign policy or one with a focus on the protection of the ill-gotten wealth of the former rulers, he added.It was consensus that the future foreign policy should be in the interest of the nation, he said, adding the government was desirous of having good friendly relations with the US and the EU, but not at the cost of national interests and honor.It was true that the EU was Pakistan’s major trade partner, but trade relations were based on mutual benefit, he added. The entire nation was supporting the PM in pursuing a free and independent foreign policy.Taking a jibe on Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the minister said the residents of Islamabad were grateful to him for an amusing end to his so-called long march.The government, he said, wanted that the no-confidence drama should end before March 23, as the delegates for the OIC foreign ministers meeting would start arriving in Islamabad from March 21.Besides OIC foreign ministers, the special representatives of the EU would also attend the parade on March 23, he added.The minister said it was the prerogative of the National assembly Speaker to accept or reject the vote of members, who violated the party discipline.PM Imran Khan, he said, enjoyed the confidence of 179 National Assembly members and he was expected to receive some additional votes as four to five opposition members were also in contact with the PTI.It was the responsibility of the opposition to ensure 172 votes in favor of the motion of the D day, he added.Replying to the questions of media persons, he said the NA Speaker would decide under Article 163-1A of the Constitution to declare the votes of assembly members, who violated the party line during voting on the no-confidence motion, invalid.He said as per the said article, the party leader was the authority to decide if the violation of the rule had been done by a member or not.To a query, the minister said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar enjoyed the confidence of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the PTI’s provincial parliamentary party, and he would remain on that post till he enjoyed that support.He said they were in contact with Jehangir Tareen and Aleem Khan, and would continue to hold consultations with them. A joint strategy would be prepared for the future, he added.(Please send your news, article, pictorial to our email address <editor@enewspaper.com.pk &WhatsApp +923132434567 / +923332100737PLEASE SEND YOUR COMMENTS Thanks)(facebook ID shujaullahk)https://www.facebook.com/Newspaper on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Enewspapercompk-182394028490643(twitter: KhanShujaullah)https://www.twitter.com/home(linkedin: shuja-ullah-khan)https://www.linkedin.com/feed
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