ISLAMABAD: Reacting to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s statement, in which he had said that five PTI MPs could “disappear” during the voting for Punjab’s chief minister, Fawad Chaudhry claimed that over five MNAs of the ruling coalition are in contact with his party.
Voting for the slot of Punjab CM will take place on July 22 and it is expected that PTI candidate Pervez Elahi may win after the party’s landslide victory in Sunday’s Punjab by-polls which placed it as the largest party in the provincial assembly.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Fawad Chaudhry urged the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker, who will also be the presiding officer of the crucial session, to take notice of the interior minister’s July 18 statement and bar him from entering the province.
He claimed that PTI would regain government in Punjab on July 22, adding that they could impose a ban on the entry of Rana Sanaullah and Punjab Home Minister Attaullah Tarar into the province on the very next day.
“People like Rana Sanaullah and Attaullah Tarar are cancer for Punjab,” he added.
Referring to the number game in the National Assembly, the PTI leader said that the federal government is on the ventilator, adding that they can send the coalition government packing whenever they want.
Lashing out at the incumbent movement, Fawad Chaudhry said that they could not bring stability to the market despite inking a staff-level agreement with the IMF and the dollar further climbed by Rs10.
“There would have been political and economic stability in the country if Imran Khan’s demand for general elections was accepted,” he added.
He urged the government to show maturity and take up the matter of the election framework matter during today’s meeting of the coalition parties and heads of PDM in Lahore.
Fawad Chaudhry said that PTI is ready for talks with the government if PM Shahbaz Sharif announces the date for the general elections.
Following the thumping defeat in the by-polls in the province, CM Hamza Shahbaz should resign, he added.
The former information minister also berated the government for making “false cases” against the PTI leadership — during the events leading up to the “Azadi March” on May 25 and during the Punjab by-polls.
“…it (government) made a false sectarian case against Zulfi Bukhari and tried to arrest him; attempted to arrest a decent man, Shibli Faraz; also arrested Shahbaz Gill, where he was not even given water for over four hours,” he said.
‘CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja should resign’
Moving on, Fawad said that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja should resign as he has “little time left” — or he will be kicked out eventually.
The former federal minister said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should be reconstituted and new officials, who have the support of all political parties, should be brought in.
Fawad demanded that an early election be held in the country, doubling down on his party and PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s call.
In a scathing attack on Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz, the ex-information minister demanded the province’s top official resign from office in line with political traditions.
“He [Hamza Shahbaz] should be ashamed. His party suffered a humiliating defeat, even Maryam Nawaz and Malik Ahmad accepted it. He should have tendered his resignation immediately after it,” he said.
