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Election 2018 smashed 2-party nexus, claims PTI

By Asim Yasin/agencies
July 26, 2020

Election 2018 smashed 2-party nexus, claims PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Saturday that on July 25, the PTI had broken the nexus between two political parties.

On the occasion of second anniversary of PTI’s coming into power after 2018 elections the PTI is celebrating it as a thanksgiving day and termed that the Charter of Democracy (CoD) between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was signed to keep other parties out of power.

However, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while addressing a press conference termed July 25, 2018 a black day when a selected prime minister came into power through most controversial elections. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal said if elections 2018 had not been stolen, his party would have won 120 seats

In his reaction, Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said the leaders from opposition parties who challenge the legitimacy of the popularly elected present government should read the history of Pakistani politics to know how and by whom their leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were introduced. Addressing a press conference here, he said the people of Pakistan remember how Zulfikar Ali Bhutto got himself inducted in Sikander Mirza’s cabinet by writing a 'flattering' letter. About Nawaz Sharif, he said the former prime minister was launched by General Zia and Lieut General Jeelani and Islami Jamhoori Ittehad was set up to bring him in power. He said Shahbaz Sharif was even today looking for ‘selectors’ to get a chance to become prime minister.

Murad said on the contrary Imran Khan founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 1996 and struggled for over 22 years before coming to power. He said Imran Khan was offered premiership after 2002 elections, which he rejected. He said the PTI came into power in KP in 2013 and in 2018 in Centre with the support of the masses who voted to power the most popular politician of the country, Imran Khan.

Murad said in the JIT reports of fake accounts and sugar scam, Zardari's name was mentioned but his son was giving lectures on morality and righteousness. He said every Pakistani knows that the funds allocated for health, education and other sectors of Sindh were transferred in the accounts of Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur.

The firebrand Murad Saeed said after 50 years, Kashmir issue was raised in the UN Security Council twice in last year which was the proof that the Kashmir case had been successfully advocated by Prime Minister Imran Khan at international fora. He reminded that when Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi came to Islamabad, the then PPP government removed the signboards of Kashmir House.

Continuing with his tirade, Saeed said the PML-N government was shy of mentioning the name of Kulbhushan Jadhev. He asked the opposition to act responsibly if some legislation was being done in line with ICJ rules. He recalled that it was the previous government, which accepted the jurisdiction of ICJ on the Indian spy case, about which Law Minister Farogh Naseem had made a speech and called it a mistake.

He went on to say that today Pakistan was known for tourism, not terrorism thanks to the leadership of Imran Khan. He said it was Imran Khan who advocated the case of Islam, Pakistan and Kashmir at the international fora, whereas in the past they surrendered before the demands of ‘do more’. He said they released Raymond Davis, the killer of Pakistani nationals and allowed drone attacks in tribal areas.

Murad said none of Imran’s relatives accompanied him on foreign visits and none of his foreign visit was private. He mentioned that Asif Zardari spent Rs3,164,100,000 on his foreign trips as president and up to over 800 persons were deployed on his security. Similarly, he said the visits of former PM Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi proved costly on national exchequer.

The minister said the government, in the shape of Ehsaas programme, announced the largest programme in history to support poor segments of the society. He said the budget of Ehsaas Programme has been enhanced from Rs192 billion to Rs208 billion this year and over 200 shelter homes were established across the country for destitute. He said the opposition was demanding closure of the National Accountability Bureau as they wanted to commit corruption without fearing accountability but the PTI would never allow them to do so.Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on July 25, 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf had made a history following his tireless political struggle spanning over 22 years.

On his twitter handle, the foreign minister while recalling 2018 general elections, the day people of the country voted PTI to form the next government, said 2 years ago today, PM Imran Khan (PTI) made history following an unrelenting 22-year struggle for a Pakistan that is just, honest, tolerant and progressive. On the second anniversary of the 2018 general elections, the veteran PTI posted that the people of Pakistan had voted PTI to achieve a vision of prosperous and progressive Pakistan. “A vision the great people of Pakistan voted for. May our nation continue to rise as an anchor of peace & stability. “Pakistan Zindabad,” Qureshi tweeted.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said July 25, 2018 was a historic day as on that day the people of Pakistan and the PTI workers joined hands to lay the foundation of a new thought process.

An outdated, privileged and corrupt system based on nepotism and favouritism was defeated in the general election on that day, he said while talking to the media. When the PTI came to power, the country was mired in the debt trap, and was facing serious economic difficulties and challenges. The nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, set off on the path of reforms. The struggle for the progress and prosperity of the country would continue under the PM's leadership, Shibli Faraz said.

Firing a broad side, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the people of Pakistan are on one page to send Imran Khan packing home.

“The entire Pakistan and the people of Pakistan are on one page that this selected Imran Khan has to go as he has destroyed the economy, politics of the country and democracy. If he stays anymore, the country’s economy, democracy and society will be at great loss,” he said while addressing a press conference on Saturday on the completion of two years of general elections-2018.

He said that it is a black day in the history of Pakistan and if there is no corona, political parties are observing this day on the roads. “We all remember how this selection was made,” he said. The PPP chairman said those, who announced not to give NRO to anyone, has given amnesties to more than anyone. “NRO to every kind of thief ranging from that of sugar to wheat and from oil to Kulbhushan Jadhav were given. Imran Khan introduced the biggest amnesty for corrupt people. “There is corruption in every project like BRT, Malam Jabba, Billion Tree Tsunami etc. There is a clear case against the ministers and advisers who have declared their assets recently and a case of assets beyond means could easily be initiated against them,” he said.

He deplored said the institutions were made controversial in the last elections which had never happened before. ”The selection was done on July 25, 2018 while the country is being ruled by puppets,” he said. “During the election our candidates were kidnapped, terrorism was at its peak, candidates were murdered and my own election camp in Larkana was targeted. Even the journalists were not given access to the polling stations in 2018 elections,” he said. In elections 2018, he said the results had come even after three days and they did not have any legal standing.

Bilawal charged our “new Sharifuddin Pirzada” says that he is working according to International Court of Justice so why the federal government approached court in support of Kulbhushan Jadhav. The person who was supposed to become our ambassador for Kashmir has become the defence lawyer of Kulbhushan Jadhav,” he said. He said Imran Khan and his Sharifuddin Pirzada say that they did not need to talk to opposition so now they cannot pass the legislation without opposition. He said the constitution says that any ordinance should be brought to the National Assembly as soon as possible and the National Assembly was in session in May, June and July but the government did not bring this ordinance. “This is a violation of the constitution, which they cannot do,” he said. “Now this is the second effort by this government to bring a person-specific legislation,” he said and added if there was nothing wrong with the legislation then why the government hid the ordinance from Parliament.