Speaker directed to move ECP against dissidents

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday directed the National Assembly speaker to move the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for legal action and de-notification of PTI’s dissident MNAs.

He also asked his team to initiate legal action against the dissident MNAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. In the wake of political situation in the country, he chaired a crucial meeting of his spokesperson at the Prime Minister’s House on Thursday. Fawad Chaudhry, Babar Awan, Khusro Bakhtyar, Shahzad Wasim, Hammad Azhar, Shibli Faraz, Farrukh Habib, Amir Dogar also attended the meeting. Federal Law Minister Farogh Nasim was also present in the Prime Minister's House.

The meeting discussed legal action against the dissident party parliamentarians in detail. Sources said the PM decided that Election Commission would be moved against the dissident MNAs. The PM said it was clearly written in the Constitution that a parliamentarian could be de-notified through legal process for violating the party policy. The PM said he would continue fight till last ball and would not spare any dissident. He said that huge money from Sindh was being used to purchase loyalties of the PTI MNAs. He said how come three woman MNAs, elected on reserved seats, could go against the party policy. He said he would succumb to any blackmailing and asked the meeting participants to remain relaxed, and on March 28, all would come to know that the no-confidence had failed.

Separately, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Thursday summoned a session of his ministry to discuss the matters related to a suggestion about imposition of the governor’s rule in Sindh, sources said here.

The interior minister summoned the session to review the law and order situation in Sindh. Sources said the interior ministry would also prepare a summary “in the wake of deteriorated law and order situation in Sindh”. The ministry is likely to forward the summary to the prime minister, added the sources.

Earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to impose governor’s rule in Sindh. Meanwhile, PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed also demanded governor’s rule in Sindh. He said in a statement that the loyalties of the MNAs were being purchased through the corruption money; hence, governor’s rule should be imposed in Sindh.

Meanwhile, federal ministers said that Imran Khan was elected as the prime minister by the nation, and the PTI would fight till the last moment and not bargain for power. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Energy Minister Hammad Azhar told a media conference that they had been watching the events for the last few days but today they saw again how Imran Khan proved to be true while referring to the Sindh House episode.

Fawad sounded more aggressive than others to assert that the shameless members staying in the Sindh House, who say they will vote as per the voice of their conscience, “but I say they had been voted as members in the name of Imran Khan; it was not their father’s vote, return it (resign as MNA)”.

Fawad Chaudhry called PTI MNAs Raja Riaz and Noor Alam Khan, ‘Do Besharam’ [Two Shameless] for changing their loyalties before a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said those dissidents selling themselves like donkeys, horses and mules should resign first from the NA seats and then re-elect themselves.

“We reject any kind of blackmailing, looting, any kind of bargaining to save our government, this traditional politics does not fit in the promises we made to the people,” he contended. Fawad remarked, “I, Asad Umar and the rest of the party leadership are getting calls from their circle. Our workers are angry. I want to tell them not to take the law into their own hands but you have the right to protest”.

He pointed out that it was so sad that a woman member of National Assembly was given Rs7 crore, where is this money coming from? Come here all over. The minister regretted that at present Sindh House has been made a new Chhanga Manga, where people's conscience is being bought and sold here and businessmen are buying elected members here. He wondered from where this money is coming while people in Sindh have no drinking water supplied to them.

“I want to say to these shameless people, I do not know that they were under pressure and kept in Sindh House under pressure. But I want to say to the one shameless one who says that he is to vote on the call of his conscience. Conscience says that you got votes in the name of Imran Khan, resign and if you have any complaints, go back and contest elections to return here. Is this your father’s vote that you are sitting here; the vote belongs to Imran,” he argued.

The minister contended that they had started legal proceedings on the dissident members. The legal proceedings under Article 63A will also continue but at present our main target is D-Chowk on March 27. He said that the no-confidence motion would be defeated by the power of the people.

Fawad said PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif had proposed that a national government minus PTI should be formed and that proposal was tantamount to installing a government of robbers to protect thieves.

The information minister said there were reports of transfer of huge amount of money to Sindh House. Talking to PTV, he said private force had been called to keep the people confined in Sindh House. He said it was the “voice of money” and not the voice of conscience that made the PTI MNAs change their loyalties. At present, he said that Sindh House had become centre of horse trading.

The minister said sale-purchase of loyalties of legislators was unconstitutional. He said the government was preparing a strong action plan against horse trading.

Asad Umar said that the PM had said yesterday how the first notes had reached the Sindh House and then turn-coats had reached there in lust of currency notes and they then had seen today. He added that there should be no ambiguity in one's mind as to what is the ideology and politics of Imran Khan, who does not do politics for his own interests.

He said that Imran Khan was doing politics for his nation and it was not in his personal interest, so he never blackmailed anyone and he was never ready to be blackmailed. He continued that Imran Khan has never done politics of money and even that should be done with ‘haraam’ (looted) money and bids should be made to buy people.

Federal Minister Hammad Azhar said that the nation has seen that this is the system against which Imran Khan is standing. What kind of system is this: There is a bidding system and it is a system of corruption.

Separately, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communications Dr Shahbaz Gill Thursday said the opposition wanted to come to power by using unconstitutional tactics.

Responding to PMLN leader Ahsan Iqbal’s statement, he said the disqualified Nawaz Sharif and his allies were engaged in bad politics and using unconstitutional tactics to save their politics. Gill said the money which they (Nawaz and allies) had looted from the country was being used in horse trading.

"The incompetent opposition have themselves accepted the heinous act of horse trading but no matter how hard they try, they will fail," Gill said.