PM’s resignation: PDM deadline to expire today

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said that the PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement] deadline date for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation would expire on Jan 31 (today), but there was no question of any such thing happening in the country.

Talking to the media here, he said the opposition alliance had earlier said its members would tender resignations from assemblies if Prime Minister Imran Khan did not leave his office till January 31, 2021.

However, he added, the ultimatum day had arrived, but they had failed to force the premier to resign from his office. “Now they have started saying that they will resign from assemblies at an appropriate time,” he added.

“It seems that an appropriate time is the year 2023,” he said sarcastically, while referring to the general election year.

He said, in fact, the opposition had no intention of resigning from assemblies. He said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would never leave the Sindh government.

In reply to a question, Qureshi said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was against mafias and the government was exposing them. He said inquiries were being conducted against mafias, and no concessions would be given to anyone.

The foreign minister said the world believed that no effective action had been taken against money-laundering in Pakistan in the past. The PTI government had taken effective measures against money-laundering now, he added.

Stopping corruption is a priority of the government, Qureshi said adding that the country would not develop unless corruption was brought under control. The PTI would cooperate with every institution in rooting out corruption. The government's top priority was economic prosperity in the country, he added.

To a question about Senate elections, the minister said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would not have majority to get Yusuf Raza Gilani elected as a senator from Punjab. “If Yusuf Raza Gilani is elected from Punjab, that means there will be horse-trading in the province,” he added.

Qureshi said the peasant movement had gained momentum in India. He said the farmers in all provinces of India were increasingly participating in the mass protests. They were dissatisfied with the BJP government policies, he added.

The foreign minister said Kashmiris celebrated the Republic Day of India as a black day and farmers protested. The Delhi government did not seem to be successful in negotiating with farmers. Pakistan is exposing Indian heinous acts and violence through diplomatic channels, he added.

To a question, he said the financial support given to Nawaz Sharif by Osama bin Laden was on record. He said that he would not like to comment on national security issues.

Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that Pakistan was one of the countries which could be affected by climate change.

To another question, Qureshi said terrorism had decreased across the country. He said Pakistan wanted peace in the region. Pakistan was playing an important role for peace in Afghanistan. The peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban was an important development, he added.

He said that India was directly involved in terrorism in Pakistan and the government was fully aware of the kind of operations it was carrying out inside Pakistan. The real face of India would be exposed in the coming days, he added. India propagated to defame Pakistan through fake websites. Pakistan had raised the Kashmir issue in the world very effectively, he added. The government presented Kashmir stance in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, which was appreciated by members of the opposition largely, he added.

Qureshi said the international community has come to action only after the Kashmir issue was raised by the PTI government.

About price-hike, the minister said the reasons for inflation were in front of everyone. In the past, dollar was artificially kept stable. After the end of the PML-N government, the value of the dollar went up again. Inflation in the country was a gift of the past governments, he claimed. He congratulated the national cricket team over win against South Africa.