Opposition attributes PM Imran Khan’s ‘rant’ to nervousness

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should not rant and dared him to do whatever he wants to do.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the prime minister was using filthy and foul language against the leadership of the opposition parties in public meetings which manifested his nervousness as he saw the writing on the wall.

“He knows his days as prime minister are numbered, therefore he has lost his senses and is abusing respectable leadership,” he said and deplored by saying, “This is his (PM’s) political legacy and the culture he promoted.”

Talking to media, Murad also dared the PM to do whatever he wanted to against opposition leadership now as in the coming few days he would not get any more time afterwards. About the long march, Murad Ali Shah said, the people of Pakistan had already expressed their no-confidence in the prime minister and unanimously demanded his removal.

Meanwhile, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan over statements against the opposition and said Imran had reached new lows by threatening the life of former president Asif Ali Zardari and it appeared the self-imposed, ill-fitting moniker of ‘Kaptaan’ must retire soon. If the prime minister continued on the path of such condemnable statements, the title of ‘target killer’ might be more fitting for him.”

“This behaviour by the premier of a country is not only an embarrassment but further proves and validates the need for the no-trust motion that the opposition rightfully submitted in the National Assembly Tuesday night at the behest of the entire nation,” she said while commenting on the prime minister’s speech Wednesday at the Governor’s House in Karachi.

Senator Sherry Rehman said it seemed as though a new wave of panic had swept the PTI government due to the revolutionary and game-changing Awami March led by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. So much so that Imran Khan Niazi had resorted to using reprehensible language against the opposition, she said.

She said it would benefit the government to consider holding their own members accountable for their corrupt practices before they made a statement on Asif Ali Zardari, who spent 12 years in prison without ever asking for special treatment despite his completely baseless arrest that was made without any evidence.

She said Bilawal-led awami march had reignited the hope for a better tomorrow that had nearly burnt out due to the disastrous and failed governance by ‘Tabahi Sarkar’. “People have put their trust in party chairman to bring peace and prosperity back to the country and no amount of baseless and slanderous comments by Imran Khan or any of the PTI cronies will damage momentum of the PPP,” she added.

Meanwhile, PPP Secretary Information Shazia Marri reacted strongly to the speech of Prime Minister Imran Khan saying that hurling abuses and threats showed that his days were numbered.

“A person is identified by his character through language and the kind of language being used exposed his basic training,” she said.

Shazia Murree said that the nation knew that President Asif Ali Zardari had been the target of enemies of democracy for the last 34 years.

She said that President Asif Ali Zardari had taught Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the politics of patience, tolerance and forbearance while Imran Niazi had been taught by his father Ikram Niazi hurling abuses. “Imran Khan’s father Ikram Niazi was fired from the job for corruption,” she said.

Shazia Marri said that the nation was suffering from the incompetent torment of Imran Khan. “The time is near when Aleema Khan would be asked about the money trail of her assets,” he said. She said Imran Khan should avoid excessive anger at this age.

Meanwhile, PMLN Secretary Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Imran Khan's increasing abusive, aggressive and threatening speeches were proof that he had lost his mind because he knew that the no-confidence motion would be successful.

Addressing a press conference in Chak Shehzad, flanked by Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Marriyum said when Imran started listing his prime targets in future, she and the nation were hoping that his prime targets would be reducing prices of sugar, wheat, electricity, gas, medicines and petrol. “The people thought they'd get to hear the 10 million jobs as a target,” she said.

She said they hoped the 5 million houses for the poor were going to be Imran's target. But, as always, Imran's objectives were political victimisation and persecution of his political opponents. "Imran's threats, abusive language, mudslinging and hooliganism will have no effect on the spirit of the joint opposition nor will it have any impact on the outcome of the no-confidence motion,” she said.

She said the opposition had already suffered the worst spell of political victimisation by Imran. “They were tortured in death cells,” she said.

She said their daughters and other family members were harassed, handcuffed and arrested in front of them on fictitious charges, and they were maligned by smear campaign. “These empty threats by a desperate, week, powerless, characterless, and classless hooligan means absolutely nothing", she lambasted.

She said the baffled, frustrated, desperate and insinuating speech by Imran reflected his rapidly deteriorating mental health due to the realisation that his time was up. She said Imran, the kingpin of sugar, flour, medicines, electricity, gas and petrol theft scandal knew that his journey to prison was inevitable.

Marriyum said, "Imran's rant of being a victim of an international conspiracy ridiculous and laughable.” She aid since being imposed on Pakistan, Imran had damaged ties with China, stood by and watched when India officially annexed Occupied Kashmir, served his foreign funders’ interests, enslaved national economy and SBP to IMF, surrendered national economic sovereignty and hurt Pakistan in every way, locally and internationally. “Why would any international power conspire against Imran if they would want to hurt Pakistan,” she said adding that they would actually conspire to keep him in power if they wanted to damage Pakistan's interest. She reminded how Imran forced everyone to keep the details of this foreign funding secret, but the State Bank exposed it all.

She said the SBP showed how Imran issued forged and fake certificates to justify laundered billions of rupees and millions of dollars. “One offshore company, 349 foreign companies and 44 individuals were involved in this illegal foreign funding according to the State Bank of Pakistan. In 2008, he declared 2 accounts, kept 5 secret; in 2009-10 he declared 2 accounts, hid 10; in 2010-2011 he declared 2 accounts and hid 11; in 2012-2013-2014 he declared 4 accounts and kept 14 secret, she said.

Before abusing or threatening the opposition, she said Imran should tell the nation who was Sahir Iqbal, Muhammad Nouman, and Muhammad Rafiq hired with Imran's signature and were guilty of getting millions in foreign funding.

She said Imran and his accomplices would soon pay for all this. The PMLN Secretary Information said the session of the Parliament had nothing to do with the President of Pakistan and it was constitutional obligation of the Speaker to call the session in less than 14 days.

She challenged Imran to hold the parliamentary session as soon as possible instead of hiding behind delays and embarrassing himself. “Imran's political death is inevitable,” she said.