Govt to decide on elections: minister

LAHORE:Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that no decision has been taken about the general elections and added the coalition government would decide when the elections will be held.

Talking to media at the groundbreaking ceremony of HEC Seerat Centre for Gender Studies & Rights for Women here on Monday he said that Imran Khan government had entered into anti-people and anti-poor agreement with the IMF and despite this the incumbent government was trying to find ways to provide maximum relief to the masses.

Ahsan Iqbal further said that consequences of economic disaster caused by the policies of the PTI government would be felt for years to come. He said the present uncertainty was in fact continuity of the four-year government of Imran Khan. Coming hard on the PTI government he said those who destroyed the economy were demanding accountability. “Imran Khan Niazi has to answer this,” he added.

The minister further said that Imran Khan had indulged in politics of hatred and instigation and was creating discord between state institutions, government, and the general public. He said Imran Khan was damaging self-esteem of youths besides hurting the sovereignty and integrity of the country through his “slavery” narrative and added Pakistan is an independent country and an atomic power capable of protecting its freedom.

He said that peaceful protest within the boundaries of the law and Constitution was a democratic right and warned of action in case the law was violated in the wake of PTI’s upcoming long march.

The minister also criticised the PTI government for ignoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project saying the previous government did not release fund for dredging of Gwadar Port.

He said that the PMLN government had planned setting up nine Economic Zones till 2020, during its previous tenure, but the PTI government did not establish even a single economic zone. Earlier, addressing ceremony, he said that HEC Seerat Centre for Gender Studies & Rights for Women Project would focus on how to counter the challenge of hate speech and Islamophobia through development of research-based culture in the study of Islam. Besides HEC officials, vice-chancellors of different public and private universities, educationists and people from different walks of life attended the event.