Three former prime ministers have warned the secretary of the interior, Islamabad Police, and the administration that if the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government resorts to police action in the Sindh House tonight, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed will be held responsible.
Former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Raja Pervez Ashraf of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) issued a joint statement warning these officials to stay away from what they called “politics.” The statement reads, “Do not become involved in the politics of the country.”
They believe that if the police and the administration of the capital city move to thwart the no-confidence motion, it will be a violation of the constitution. “Those who violate the constitution and support the administration in thwarting the motion will face the consequences,” they stated, adding that any crackdown on members of the National Assembly (MNAs) would be considered an attack on parliament. “Any police action similar to that carried out in Parliament Lodges against opposition MNAs a few days ago will result in fines,” ex-PMs have stated emphatically.
Former prime ministers have stated that the prime minister and the interior minister are already having difficulty completing the necessary numbers in the NA to defeat the resolution. “To make matters worse,” they claimed, “they are organizing a police raid on the Sindh House.”
They went on to suggest that the government’s employment of such measures demonstrated that the premier had lost his majority in the lower house of parliament.
According to ex-PMs, the individual who has a practise of threatening his opponents with retribution has been deserted by his associates.
