ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senior Vice-President Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Monday said the PTI members were not returning the government vehicles and houses back to the administration, as they did not want to hand over those vehicles and residences to thieves. Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan here, he said, “We do not want to hand over government vehicles and houses to thieves.”
The former information minister alleged that a sustained attempt was being made to make the country default, so that “our assets could be given under the foreign powers control.” He said the PTI had doubts that there was a sustained attempt going on to make Pakistan default, so that its assets could be given under the foreign powers.
The PTI leader said that there was a talk that the next 72 hours were important but “I say that 72 hours are too much for Pakistan’s economy. This government must go home in the next 48 hours, and there should be an announcement about new elections.”
He emphasised that there was no need for any technocrat government etc., and no (caretaker) government was acceptable for a day after 90 days, adding that general election must be held within 90 days.
Fawad urged all institutions, including the Establishment, both the military and civilian, as well as the media, to support holding of early elections, as this was in the interest of the country and people, and that there should be a new government in the next 48 hours.
He continued that Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz had become the chief minister on his own, who was not recognised by neither the president and governor, nor the speaker. There was no government, governor or cabinet in a province, which has 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population. “Whosoever, imposed this setup on us did a great injustice to Pakistan. Rupee and the stock exchange’s fall is continuing and there is none to care about it,” he added.
The PTI leader said presently there were two finance ministers: one was Ishaq Dar sitting in London, and the second was present in Pakistan. Likewise, there were two PMs: one was an absconder, living in Avenfield Apartments, and the other was facing cases in courts and was on bail.
Fawad claimed they had left a very stable economy with $16 billion foreign exchange reserves, but devastation was caused in a month. “And why Sri Lanka could not host the Asia Cup, the reason was it did not have money to import oil, and here also, you would not have money to import oil soon, and LCs could not be opened and there would be no imports, as the country had been pushed to a horrendous economic crisis.”
The country, he noted, had enough of an experiment and repeating the same again and again was nothing but stupidity. He added it was time to send Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet packing and contended they would have to go. “Now the question arises, whether they would go after causing more harm to the country owing to delay, or they would quit right now,” he asked.
About their petition in the Supreme Court against new delimitation of constituencies, he said that the last census was held in 2017; therefore, there was no need for delimitation now and said that if the contention of the Election Commission for new delimitations was accepted, then polls would not be possible even for a year.
He said their petition, itself, was enough to send the entire Election Commission packing, as under Article 218, the Election Commission must be always ready for holding elections. When the Election Commissioner expressed his inability, then all the three members should be sent packing.
“Be it the Election Commission or any other institution, none would be allowed to sabotage the Constitution. Elections must be announced immediately, which should be held in 90 days, and then we are ready to sit with the government for the next framework,” he added.
The PTI leader demanded Shehbaz Sharif apologise for seeking help from the army chief on the issue of petrol prices. “On the one hand, they seek help from the army chief on petrol prices and, on the other hand, they say, they had detonated nuclear devices on their own,” he noted. However, when his attention was drawn to PTI’s governor writing to the army chief for help, he justified it, saying he had sought administrative help.
To a question, he said Rana Sanaullah must go crazy if he was to send Imran Khan to jail, as whosoever would send Imran to jail right now, he would not be able to live in Pakistan, and would have to have a passport of Cambodia or any other such country.