New Delhi: Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party plan to resume protests as he feels that the Nawaz Sharif-led government continues to drag its feet over the setting up of a judicial commission to investigate the alleged rigging of the May 2013 general elections.
Originally slated for December 18, 2014, Imran Khan’s plan to stage nation-wide protests against the government was put on hold after the December 16 massacre of school children in Peshawar.
At a press conference in Islamabad, senior PTI leaders avoided criticizing the government, though Imran spoke a little harshly about the imposition of an additional general sales tax on petroleum products without seeking approval from parliament.
PTI’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Imran Khan was disappointed at the government’s reluctance to constitute a fully empowered judicial commission for audit of the elections.
A party meet is to be held on January 6 to take stock of the situation, he added.
“I have met the PTI chairman today. He’s quite disappointed over the government’s response to our flexibility which we have displayed over the past couple of weeks.”
When asked directly about the sit-in at D-Chowk in the capital Mr Qureshi said, “All options will be discussed during the core committee meeting.”
Criticising the government on the judicial commission issue he said, “The government wants a toothless commission, whereas the PTI has been asking for an effective commission for meaningful investigation to determine if the general elections were held in a free and fair manner.”
MNA Asad Umar, PTI chairman on economic issues slammed both the government and the opposition PPP for an alleged collaboration to fool people and deprive them of the rightful saving after a fall in international oil prices.
The most intriguing, Mr Umar said, was the tight-lipped response of the PPP, the main opposition party on the issue. This according to him shows collaboration between the two parties and the PPP is happy to play second fiddle to the PML-N.
“It has just been a couple of weeks since we left the D-Chowk and the PML-N has reverted to its old ways where they only look after the interests of the haves at the cost of the have-nots,” he added. By Ankit Berry