If barred from entering province, Rana Sanaullahwarns of governor’s rule in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah warned on Wednesday governor’s rule would be imposed in Punjab if he was barred from entering the province.

Addressing a press conference here, Sana said he had already begun drafting a summary for imposition of governor’s rule, which was moved by the interior ministry. He said it was because of the kind of statements the opposition political leaders had been making.

“If my entry is restricted, it will provide sufficient grounds for imposing the governor’s rule,” he asserted.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice-President Chaudhry Fawad Hussain strongly reacted to Rana Sanaullah’s statement, saying that the minister’s talk of governor’s rule was shameful, as he did not understand what he was talking about.

He advised the minister to read the rules that allow the governor’s rule. Fawad alleged that the attitude of Muslim League-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzeb and others showed that they were politically mindless people. He claimed the PTI core committee would decide when to dislodge the federal government.

The PTI leader said that most of such people in the Muslim League-N were apolitical; there was no such thing as intellect. “It is a shame to see Rana Sanaullah’s press conference that such people hold such big positions in the country.”

Fawad said a Supreme Court verdict was announced on Tuesday and today they were saying that they would impose the governor’s rule. “I would advise them to read the law regarding the governor’s rule, so that you know under what circumstances governor’s rule is imposed,” he remarked.

The PTI leader said that this was the bench that took the decision three months ago which forced Imran Khan to leave the government. “We have major reservations over this decision but it cannot be said that we do not believe in the Supreme Court, as the law minister of the present government said and later backed out. But their intentions and ambitions about the institutions are like this.”

He alleged “Muslim League-N is currently pursuing a foolish policy. They think that we have to become an angry League now. They think that they will get a narrative by becoming an angry League but it will not happen. The people of Pakistan need a future course of action and manifesto.”

Fawad claimed that Shehbaz Sharif and the entire Muslim League-N are currently under pressure; they should show courage, small and mean acts are being done, the swearing-in ceremony of Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi was not aired on PTV at night, the bureaucracy was barred from going to the Presidency, the secretary cabinet was barred from going to the Presidency.

He said Shehbaz Sharif’s government, which has taken such steps, is a shaky government. If we react to it, this government will not be able to survive. “A meeting of the PTI core committee is to be held in which it will be decided when we have to bring about a change in Islamabad. Right now we are more interested in elections than the government,” he noted.

“We want all parties to sit down and set the election framework, decide when elections are to be held. We should decide whether there should be a clear election, which is accepted by all people. But transparent elections are not possible with the present Election Commission. If there is any shame in the Chief Election Commissioner, he should have resigned but he is not resigning. So we have to take some steps to replace him,” he asserted.

He pointed out that some people in the media were saying that members were de-seated on Imran Khan’s letter, but the same action was not taken on Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s letter. “So, I want to ask these journalists to look at the record before talking,” he said.

He explained that the PTI’s de-seated dissident members were issued notices by PTI parliamentary leader Sibtain Khan, the parliamentary party had decided. The minutes of this meeting are also a part of the record, all this is also written in the Election Commission’s decision.

Fawad said that in the core committee meeting, now they have to decide the basic decision when “we have to dislodge the federal government, it is not difficult to finish the central government, the president has to ask this government to take a vote of confidence. The government will have to get 172 votes while it does not have more than 163 votes at present. The condition of this government is such that it has passed the budget with the support of only 95-96 people.”

Separately, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) leader and former federal minister Moonis Elahi criticised Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah over his recent statement of imposing governor’s rule in Punjab, saying that he should read the Constitution before making illogical statements.

He took to the Twitter and said even though it hasn’t been 24 hours since Pervaiz Elahi was sworn in, the interior minister had lost his senses. Taking a dig at the Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, he said: “Now it’s time to hold you accountable for the Model Town massacre.”