PM Imran Khan refuses to replace Punjab CM Usman Buzdar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday refused to succumb to any pressure, exerted by the opposition parties by filing a no-confidence motion against him, as well as yielding to a demand by the disgruntled Tareen-Aleem group of the ruling PTI for removal of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

Sources said the premier reiterated in response to the Punjab CM’s replacement demand that [Sardar Usman] Buzdar would continue working as the chief minister. He said it would not be easy to replace him. He said no one else had done as much work as Usman Buzdar did, while being the chief executive of Punjab.

The premier said Punjab CM Usman Buzdar was an "easy target", adding that he was only disliked by thechief minister hopefuls. Earlier, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry called on PM Imran Khan in Islamabad to convey the demands of the Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group. The group wanted replacement of Usman Buzdar, sources privy to the development said.

“I will not replace Usman Buzdar,” PM Khan replied after listening to the demands from Fawad Chaudhry and Imran Ismail, added the sources. Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan chaired a meeting of federal ministers, including Asad Umar and Shafqat Mehmood, and other party parliamentarians, and was informed that all the party members and allies were united under his [Imran Khan’s] leadership.

“Opposition will be defeated and we are not scared of no-trust motion,” PM Imran Khan told the participants. He said that the government was focused on performance.

Later on, speaking to a select group of YouTubers on Tuesday, the prime minister said he was confident that the government was not going anywhere and that this was the opposition's last move. He asserted that his government would not be ousted as a result of the opposition’s no-confidence motion, rather it would become stronger. "We will defeat them in such a manner that they will not be able to recover from it until 2028," he claimed. "The opposition will face a humiliating defeat," the PM added.

Imran reiterated that the Pakistan Army was with Pakistan and it would never support the “thieves". "The army stands with Pakistan, it will never support thieves [...] and since the people are not backing the opposition anymore, they are claiming that the establishment is supporting them," he said.

The premier remarked, "What will happen if the no-trust move does not succeed? A mind game is being played at present, and I am the master of mind games." Speaking about estranged PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, the prime minister said: "I know that he will never join hands with these robbers."

The prime minister said the opposition's heightened activities were backed by money. "My lawmakers are being offered Rs180 million [for supporting no-confidence motion]. I told them to take the money and distribute it among the poor," said the premier in a lighter vein.

Endorsing the PTI leaders' narrative of international conspiracy behind Imran Khan's removal, the premier said people who do not want an independent foreign policy would support the no-confidence motion. He claimed that there were "multiple foreign hands" behind the opposition. He said he had completed his preparation, adding that a "captain doesn't reveal his strategy all at once".

Replying to a question, the PM said the United States might put pressure on the government through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but “we will see when the time comes”. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a review meeting regarding high-rise projects in Islamabad and noted that in view of the growing population in the federal capital and the chaotic spread of Islamabad, it is necessary to build high-rise buildings. The meeting was informed that construction of 3 high-rise buildings was being planned in Islamabad in which the total number of apartments would be 14,400.

PM Imran also called for expediting work on Islamabad Cricket Stadium project. The meeting was informed that the CDA had activated one window centre equipped with modern facilities for citizens especially Pakistanis living abroad.

While addressing a function in connection with the International Women’s Day at Fatima Jinnah University in Rawalpindi earlier on Tuesday, PM Imran Khan said he was ready for everything the opposition throws at him. "The powerful desire an NRO and threaten to topple the government if they don't get it but I will not give them that as long as I am alive," the PM said. “Once again, I make it loud and clear that I will not extend the gang of thieves and dacoits any relief in the shape of NRO (national reconciliation ordinance),” he said.

PM Imran noted that it was his government that enacted the law of inheritance, but insisted the entire society and the system would have to ensure its implementation. He regretted that inheritance rights were denied to women in a feudal system.

Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) at the Prime Minister's House to discuss legal aspects of the no-trust move filed against him. According to sources, the AGP briefed the premier regarding the legal implications of the move.

The PM also held meetings with the members of National Assembly, including Fazal Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla, Ghulam Muhammad Lali, Amjad Khan Niazi, Makhdoom Samiul Hassan, Yaqub Sheikh, Sajida Zulfiqar and Andleeb Abbas. Federal Ministers Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, Shafqat Mahmood and Special Assistant Malik Amir Dogar also attended the meetings.

Also, PM Imran Khan would visit Karachi on Wednesday (today) to meet leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) in the wake of no-trust motion. He would0 visit the MQMP’s headquarters in Bahadurabad to meet its top leaders, Arsalan Taj, MPA and the PTI Sindh secretary information, told The News. He would also meet GDA’s supremo Pir Pagara, attend a meeting of the PTI’s lawmakers from Sindh and the party’s provincial body, he said. Khan will also attend an event related to the federal government’s Ehsaas Kifalat programme.

In his meetings with allies’ leaders, Khan would assure them to address their concerns and convince them to support the ruling PTI in making the opposition’s no-trust move fail. “Khan could also announce allocation of one extra ministry each for the MQMP and the GDA,” said an MQMP leader.