A day after the country’s major opposition parties huddled up to strategise on mounting pressure on the government, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday dismissed the idea of a joint opposition alliance as a potential threat to the ruling regime.
Speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath on Wednesday, Asif said he saw many opposition alliances being formed in the country’s history but none of them ever succeeded in dislodging the government.
A day earlier, the opposition leaders gathered at the residence of senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser, who had hosted a dinner for them.
Prominent among those who were part of the event included Tehreek Tahafuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who also is the chairman of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, MWM chief Senator Allama Nasir Abbas Jafri, Sunni Ittehad Council head Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhor.
In a brief media chat, Maulana Fazl alleged that the February 8 general elections were rigged, therefore, this government should resign and announce fresh elections.
When programme host Shahzeb Khanzada reminded the minister that the joint opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), succeeded in ousting PTI’s government led by Imran Khan in 2023, Asif responded by saying it took nearly four years for the then-opposition parties to pull it off.
“Not a single year has passed now,” he said referring to the tenure of the coalition government which came to power in March last year.
He said one of the major reasons behind the PTI-led government collapse was the attitude of Imran Khan towards lawmakers who helped the then-opposition parties in his ouster.
Moreover, the “non-performance and the economic mismanagement” during the PTI’s four-year rule played a role in the downfall of Imran’s government.
When asked about Fazl’s allegations of vote rigging in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Asif said: “The demand for fresh elections should be for the entire country, not just for a single province.”
Responding to a question about the government “using” the JUI-F chief for its own interests, he stressed the importance of maintaining consistent contact with Fazlur Rehman, adding that the relationship should not be “transactional.” “Issues are resolved through dialogue, not confrontation,” the defence minister added.
Meanwhile, Abbasi — during today’s show — noted that yesterday’s meeting of the opposition was the first and no alliance had been formed yet. “Our consensus is that this government is not a true representative of the country,” he added.
He reiterated that fresh elections were the only solution to the country’s problems, adding that meetings between the opposition parties would be continued. Responding to a question, the former premier said that if all else fails, taking to the streets would be the last resort.
