PM Shehbaz hits out at Imran's 'naked defiance' of courts

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday pointed out what he termed as the “naked defiance” of former prime minister Imran Khan by making fun of state institutions with his no-show in courts.

“First time in Pakistan, a so-called political person is considering himself above law. Non-appearance in courts is tantamount to violation of law,” he told a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) in Islamabad at the PM House.

Shehbaz recalled that Imran Khan used to criticise politicians using unlawful tactics but was now trying to defy the rule of law himself. 

He mentioned that PML-N leaders including himself, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah were dragged into fake cases by the previous government, but still appeared before the courts. Senior journalists including Absar Alam and Matiullah Jan were manhandled during Imran Khan’s tenure, he added.

“The government is not taking action on its own, but on the court order,” he said in reference to the recent movement of police with regard to Imran Khan’s arrest warrants.

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Asked if the government was ready to hold talks with Imran Khan, he said although politicians always resorted to dialogue, however, PTI had a history of not responding positively in this regard. He said that the PTI did not even join the apex committee meeting chaired by him in Peshawar on the recent mosque bombing.

He said that the federal government was committed to fulfill its constitutional obligation of holding elections and would act as per the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“No one should have a doubt on us regarding evading the elections. We will whole-heartedly participate in elections and will follow whatever is decided by ECP,” he told the delegation.

Shehbaz said it was up to the ECP to decide on the matter, however, as president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he had directed his party to finalise the names of ticket-holders.

He said that the government was cognizant of the fact that timely elections led to a stronger state and its progress. In the same context, he mentioned that the government had initiated work on the census and the funds had been released despite financial constraints.

The prime minister said that the country was passing through political and economic challenges, however, he added that all political parties of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) coalition contributed positively towards improvement in the situation.

During 11 months of the tenure, he said, the government successfully overcame the shadows of default.

He regretted that the previous government stepped back from the agreement inked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying it was not a private but a state deal, and it's non-implementation resulted in a big loss for the country. He expressed confidence that a staff-level agreement with the IMF would be struck soon. He dismissed the impression that IMF talked about political instability in the country.

Shehbaz recalled that friendly countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and China extended support to Pakistan in trying times.

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To control inflation, he said, the government was committed to ensuring austerity and providing relief to the poor, especially during Ramazan.

On Toshakhana case, he said that Imran Khan, who called himself an honest person, was in fact a liar, who even sold a wristwatch with model of the Holy Ka’aba.

He mentioned the change of Toshakhana policy by his cabinet wherein only gifts up to $300 could be retained on payment of the requisite amount.

The prime minister termed CPNE an important link between the government and the masses. He apprised the news editors of the effective steps taken by the government in areas of the economy.

The meeting held an in-depth discussion on the overall situation in the country in areas of politics, economy, foreign affairs and security.