Imran lucky to have an incompetent opposition: Rashid

KARACHI: Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed Sunday said the government was lucky in the sense that it faced an incompetent opposition.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said democracy had emerged victorious in the Daska by-election. He said the by-election had indicated that the next general elections in the Punjab would be held between the PTI and PMLN.

“Only one wrestler has to emerge victorious if two [wrestlers] go to the ring,” he said while responding to a question. He said Daska by-election was a unique case, as for the first time in his life a constituency twice had gone to the polls in just 50 days.

He said the good thing was that this time Daska by-election was peaceful, as two persons were killed in the previous by-poll. He praised the services of police and the Rangers for elaborate security arrangements during the by-polls.

He claimed that the PTI had emerged victorious even after losing the by-election, as it was in fact a victory of democracy. He said they had to accept the verdict of democracy. He said the PTI’s candidate got more votes this time than in the previous election.

Shaikh Rashid said Prime Minister Imran Khan was politically alive and there was no truth behind the rumours in this regard. The minister said the Swiss accounts case would be reopened on the directives of the Broadsheet probe commission.

He said the government of the past had given 60 million dollars from the public exchequer to investigate the case. The minister said the prime minister had made it clear that no talks would be held with India until Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was restored (to grant special autonomous status to the Indian-held Kashmir).

He said the PM would go to Gilgit-Baltistan and announce a development package for the region. He said the prime minister was personally looking into the issue of price hike and the government would do its best to control it in Ramazan.

Sheikh Rasheed said Imran Khan had cautioned all mafias in the country whether they were related to sugar, wheat flour, edible oil, or cotton business. He said the premier was fighting all the elements responsible for the price hike.

He informed the media persons that fencing at the Pakistan-Iran border had been completed by 42 percent whereas fencing at the Pak-Afghan border would be completed by June 30 this year. He said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s position was strong, as PM Imran Khan was on his back.