Coalition govt ready for polls for a fresh mandate: Khursheed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party senior leader and Minister for Water Resources Khursheed Shah Thursday said the coalition government was ready for polls for a fresh mandate.

“We did a favour [to the country] by forming a government. And if it is removed, it will be a favour to us, and we will be thankful,” he said in a media talk here. The water resources minister said “we will be happy if the government is dissolved.

"In such a situation, who would have dared take over the government for only a few months? But we did so, to avert a Sri Lanka-like situation in Pakistan,” he claimed.

The PPP senior leader said if the government is toppled, then elections would have to be held within 90 days, and this is not possible in the current circumstances. "I always said that Imran Khan should be allowed to complete his tenure, so that his government falls under its own burden. However, the people, the media and everyone was accusing the opposition for doing nothing," he said adding that “we were told that if Imran was allowed to continue in power, then the opposition would also be responsible for it."

Khursheed Shah said “we did not come to power happily, but people, media and all others wanted to get rid of the Imran Khan government. “We removed Imran Khan in a constitutional manner and took responsibility for solving country's problems,” he added.

Khursheed said had we been interested in power, we would have not offered Imran Khan a Charter of Economy time and again. He said the opposition never makes any such offer anywhere in the world, but the PTI government was part of a conspiracy against the country, and that was why it did not accept the offer. "Let me tell you one thing very clearly, a big conspiracy is being hatched against Pakistan, and the country is being pushed into a dark alley," he alleged. The PPP minister claimed that the conspiracy was hatched against Pakistan 40 years ago, and Imran Khan was prepared under that conspiracy.

Replying a question, Khursheed said Imran Khan would never be a hero. "This is all a temporary game; when you go to the polls you will come to know his actual position," he added. In reply to a question, Khursheed Shah ruled out the possibility of presidential system in the country. “The only way for introducing the presidential system is to abolish the Constitution, and the Constitution cannot be repealed through ordinances,” he said.

Khursheed Shah also hinted at a grand alliance against Imran Khan in the next election and said if the PTI had been part of such a conspiracy, then we also would have to contest the election together to form the next government. "It will not be an easy election at all," he added.

Regarding the suo motu notice by the Supreme Court, Khursheed Shah said the judiciary's job was to provide justice to people. He requested the judges to think about Pakistan. "Transfer, posting is not the job of judiciary but of the executive," he added. He said the judiciary should take notice of how dollar rose from Rs100 to Rs200 and form a committee to probe it. If it has happened in one month, then we are responsible for it.”

He said the petroleum prices had increased in the international market, but the government was not increasing it for the sake of the people of Pakistan.