Shehbaz Sharif rubbishes charges of opposition conniving with US

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif on Friday rubbished Prime Minister Imran Khan's allegations against the opposition parties for conniving with the US to topple his government.

Speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan, anchored by Shahzad Iqbal, he said the PM had cooked up a self-contradictory story about a foreign conspiracy. He asked if the PM had received the so-called secret letter on March 7, then what was the point of inviting a USdelegation to the OIC summit in Islamabad on March 22-23. He said Imran Khan had violated the law in the foreign funding case and he was talking about foreign conspiracies after facing a humiliating defeat. He said Imran Khan wanted to isolate Pakistan though his allegations. "He also annoyed our friends, like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China," he said, adding that Imran Khan had lodged fake corruption cases against the opposition leaders but courts threw them into bins.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pervaiz Elahi had accepted the opposition's offer in the presence of dozens of people. "He thanked the opposition leaders and also thanked Nawaz Sharif. Later, he changed his decision," he added. To a question, he ruled out horse-trading in the opposition's no-confidence motion and said nobody demanded or paid money. "The PTI dissidents took the decision according to their own conscience. The PTI lured our people a year ago and provided billions of rupees to them. Jobs were also provided without merit," he claimed.

To a question, he said the opposition would make collective decisions to bring Pakistan out of the present mess and work for the welfare of the people. "We will announce a comprehensive roadmap when the time arrives. We will work together and all national issues would be solved." To another question about the past bitterness between the PMLN and the PPP, he said, "I hope we can prove the well established point wrong." He said Imran Khan had come to power through rigging but the opposition adopted a constitutional way to oust him. He said Imran Khan's party had lost the first phase of local elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the opposition won all by-polls after the general elections. He said Imran Khan claimed to bring back $300b from abroad but could not succeed in getting three cents. "People would have backed him if he had delivered but he miserably failed to fulfil his election promises."

He said the establishment was neutral he had not heard from any MNA or a leader that they had received a phone call. He said Imran Khan believed he had won another World Cup when he called on former US President Donald Trump. "Now he is critcising the US," he added. To a question about the PECA, he said the opposition stood with the media when the government wanted to impose restrictions on it. "We value the freedom of the media and will oppose any restrictions on it," he added. To a question about relations with the US on the basis of equality, he said, "Beggars cannot be choosers. We don't have to fight against any country," he added.

Earlier, Opposition leader in the National Assembly and PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif lambasted Prime Minister Imran Khan for endangering the global interest of Pakistan. He said in a tweet, "the damage done to our foreign policy is incalculable", adding he was "shocked at the way Imran Khan has endangered the global interests of the country."

Also, addressing a press conference here on Friday he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had damaged relations with friendly countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. He said it were the government ministers who levelled charges of corruption against Chinese firms, while the foreign minister said that Pakistan could fight the case of Kashmir without support of Saudi Arabia.

Shehbaz questioned as to why Prime Minister Imran Khan did not raise the issue of communication which was received from America immediately after March 7. “Where you spent three weeks? Why you did not take the issue to the National Security Committee, and waved the so-called letter at a public meeting on March 27,” he asked.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was claiming that an international conspiracy was being hatched against him. “Whether you came to know about conspiracy now, after submission of no-confidence resolution, whereas you received the ‘letter’ on March 7,” he added.

He said if Pakistan had received threatening letter from America, then why the US delegation was invited at the OIC Conference of Foreign Ministers. “Our foreign minister then also said we are establishing new relations between the OIC countries and America,” Shehbaz said adding that the foreign minister also talked about celebrating 75 years of Pak-US diplomatic relations.

He said that Foreign Minister Qureshi welcomed the US delegation at the OIC meeting, saying relations between America and the OIC would be enhanced. “On the other hand, Imran Khan took immediate U-turn saying that he received threatening letter,” he said. He said PM Imran Niazi was staging the drama of a ‘threatening letter’, received from America, as a last tactic to avert no-confidence resolution, moved by the opposition parties against him. “You are doing so because your defeat is imminent on Sunday and you are seeing the writing on the wall,” Shehbaz added. He alleged that Imran Khan’s government was formed through rigging, but the combined opposition opted for a constitutional and democratic way to throw him out. “More than 172 members required for success of no-confidence resolution were present in the National Assembly proceedings on Thursday,” he claimed.

To a question, the opposition leader Shehbaz said that he had also written a letter to the Islamabad administration and Islamabad Police. He said that in the letter, he made it clear that federal interior secretary, chief commissioner Islamabad, inspector general of Police (IGP) and the deputy commissioner would be held responsible if any law and order situation was created and parliamentarians faced any problem in reaching the Parliament House on the day of voting on no-confidence resolution in the National Assembly.

Responding to another query, he said the PMLN government never raised slogans of accountability, but by the grace of Allah, no case of corruption surfaced during Nawaz Sharif’s regime and his last tenures despite the fact that trillions of rupees were spent on development and welfare. He said Imran Khan’s narrative of accountability had shattered totally now.

He told a questioner that the first action of the combined opposition on assuming power would be provision of relief to masses and make some important announcements in that connection. Shehbaz also received a call from Nawaz Sharif during the press conference, and told him that he was present at a briefing and would call him later. “He was no one else but Nawaz Sharif and he will return to the country soon on completion of his treatment,” he said when asked by a reporter. He also ridiculed allegations of Imran Khan that the PMLN government never condemned drone attacks inside Pakistan, saying that Nawaz Sharif as the premier had raised the issue at every forum.