Pervez Khattak terms PDM protest outside ECP office illogical’

NOWSHERA: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak on Sunday said that the proposed protest sit-in of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) outside the Election Commission of Pakistan was beyond understanding.

“The ECP has demanded explanation from all the political parties about the sources of foreign funding. Prime Minister Imran Khan has submitted the proof about the sources of foreign funding and now the ECP would deliver its verdict,” he told party gatherings in Khushmuqam, Pashtungarhi and Walai in the district.

Pervez Khattak asked the opposition parties that they should also show proof of their foreign funding sources to the ECP to clear their position and there was no logic in staging the protest. It may be mentioned that the ECP has summoned both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party today in connection with the foreign funding case. Both parties have been issued notices to appear before the scrutiny committee and present their defence.

The appearance will take place a day before the previously scheduled demonstration in front of the ECP offices by the PDM opposition alliance, which is aiming to highlight the delay in concluding the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Pervez Khattak said that the PDM cannot stop an institution from working through pressure tactics and creating chaos and political instability in the country. He said the PDM was a group of jobless guys, who were bent on spreading anarchy through holding meaningless gatherings.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan is a sportsman and he could not be cowed down by the PDM pressure tactics,” Pervez Khattak believed. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would not spare even his close aides and friends if found involved in corruption and malpractices while holding public offices.

He said that people were fed up with the negative politics of PML-N and PPP, who were levelling baseless allegations against the institutions. The defence minister claimed that cracks were emerging in PDM and it would soon disintegrate, which would help dump the politics of agitation and personal vendetta.

The former rulers, he alleged, had looted the country with both hands turn by turn during their rule. He said that now they were making hue and cry when being held accountable for their plunder and misdeeds.

About artificial price-hike, he said that the government had now turned its focus towards controlling price-hike, unemployment and ensuring good governance, hoping that the situation would soon improve due to tangible steps against hoarders and profiteers. He also said that the PTI would win the upcoming by-election on PK-63 with a big margin.