Failed jalsa exposed opposition: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday refused to back down against the opposition despite its threat to march on Islamabad in February.

A source privy to the government spokespersons’ meeting called by the prime minister disclosed that the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s Lahore public meeting came under discussion, media reports say.

Imran termed the PDM’s Lahore Jalsa a flop. The meeting slammed Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s statements against the Punjabis, saying he had insulted them.

"If the opposition wants to resign, they can. I will not give in to their blackmail. After holding jalsas, they can also try their hand at the long march," he was quoted as saying. Turning his guns towards PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, the prime minister said she lacked the leadership skills. "Maryam Nawaz is spewing venom against the state institutions," he said.

Ridiculing the PPP and PML-N, Imran said one party got its leadership as a result of political testament, while the other got its leader due to ‘Abbu’. The meeting was held a few hours after the PDM warned the government, calling it to resign by December 31 and asking the opposition lawmakers to resign by the same deadline.

Meanwhile, chairing a ministerial meeting, the prime minister directed his party leaders to respond to the opposition at every forum. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, and Special Assistant to the PM on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill attended the meeting.

Imran briefed the party leadership and coalition partners on the government’s strategy to tackle the opposition and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He reiterated that the opposition will not be given an NRO no matter how hard it tried.

“They are doing jalsa to blackmail the government.” The leadership agreed that the PDM was endangering public lives by holding public gatherings amid the second wave of novel coronavirus infections. The PTIleaders said the people of Lahore had rejected the PDM.

Terming the 11-party opposition alliance's show 'pathetic', Imran Khan said the PDM had spent "so much money, time, effort and displayed utter callousness by endangering people's lives during the COVID-19 spike showing the scant regard they have for citizens' safety and well-being".

Meanwhile, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmad Monday said the opposition parties were doing politics without following any strategy, policy or agenda to achieve their vested interests.

Talking to a private news channel, he advised the Members of National Assembly of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to resign from the parliament and the government would accept their resignations.

The minister said in fact that people were fully supporting and endorsing the leadership qualities of Prime Minister Imran Khan and they did not participate in the PDM’s Lahore public gatherings.

He termed the PDM Lahore public meeting a flop and a futile exercise, as only few students of seminaries had attended it. Replying to a question, he said due to the prudent policies of the incumbent government, the prices of sugar and flour had reduced to a great extent to provide relief to the common man.

“Enough is enough. I tell Nawaz Sharif in my capacity as the interior minister that the government will facilitate him if he wants to talk to anybody except Prime Minister Imran Khan,” said the interior minister.

He said the PTI government under the leadership of Imran Khan will take the country forward adding that the government did not want to close the doors for dialogue with the opposition. He said the opposition stance was that they did not want to talk to Imran and asked if they did not want to talk to Imran Khan, then who they wanted to talk to.

“Tell us who you wish to speak to so that we can arrange it," he said. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said the PDM had miserably failed to gather the masses' support for their anti-Pakistan agenda.

"Failure of yesterday's meeting of PDM was the culmination of this movement and would lead to political stability in the country," he said during a joint news conference held here with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr.

Shahbaz Gill. He said the major reason behind the failure of PDM meeting in Lahore was PML-N and Nawaz Sharif's narrative against the army.

“Those who are in the parliament need to behave sensibly and rethink about their future strategy. The government is not going anywhere with the PDM rallies and Imran khan will also not go anywhere".

"The PDM has no standing anywhere but still we want the door of negotiations to remain open", he said. The federal minister said Mahmood Achakzai was on a mission and was being used as a tool by the external forces.

“He is against the federation and his controversial statements are against Pakistan. Everyone knows the past of Mahmood Achakzai. This generation is against Pakistan. Mahmood Achakzai's father was the President of the Indian Congress, which was against the establishment of Pakistan", the minister stated.

The minister was of the view that "It would be ridiculous to say that Punjab did not fight the war of independence. In fact Punjabis made the most sacrifices in the struggle for independence".

The federal minister said the Punjabi rulers spoke eye to eye with the British but such realities were above the level of Mahmood Achakzai to understand. The minister also stated that Nawaz Sharif and Fazlur Rehman were on their mission to end the parliamentary system in the country.