PTI MNAs were offered huge money to change loyalties, claims Asad Qaiser.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) doyen Asad Qaiser made shocking remarks on Sunday, claiming that the senior party MNAs were being harassed and offered huge money to leave the party, The Asian Mirror reported.
Current PTI Chairman Gohar Khan had also blamed the government for forcing PTI lawmakers to change their loyalty after the Supreme Court verdict about the reserved seats for women and minorities was announced in favor of PTI.
According to the verdict on July 12, PTI was qualified for the allocation of reserved seats.
The verdict paved the way for the party’s return to the parliament, which was kicked out of the February 8 polls owing to the electoral body’s December 2023 ruling.
Asad Qaiser said the rulers had no shame as they had resorted to various tactics in a bid to stay in power, including pressurising the lawmakers.
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“At the moment, the game of fire and blood is being played in the country and they are cracking down on a political party,” he said in a video message, announcing countrywide protests on Friday.
Qaiser said the PTI would urge all the political parties join this protest, including the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).
“My fellow Pakistanis, we have announced a protest in the whole of Pakistan next Friday under Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan. Our protest has three aims and objectives. Our protest is against the deteriorating law and order situation in the country and the failure of the government (to tackle it),” he said.
Secondly, Qaiser said, their protest was against the unlawful and unconstitutional imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi as well as “our other prisoners in jails and the illegal abduction and disappearance of our social workers and especially those related to social media”.
“Thirdly, our protest is against inflation which has brought doomsday on the poor people. Electricity bills have been increased, petrol prices have been increased, taxes have been imposed which are unaffordable. The people will hold a historic protest on Friday,” he maintained.
حکومت اپنی آخری دنوں میں بدمست ہاتھی کی طرح پاگل ہو چکی ہے۔ انہیں سمجھ نہیں آرہی 8 فروری کو عوامی عدالت نے ان کو مسترد کیا اور اب قانون و آئینی محاذ پر عبرتناک شکست ان سے ہضم نہیں ہو پارہی ہے۔ چیئرمین پی ٹی آئی بیرسٹر گوہر علی خان، سیکرٹری اطلاعات رؤف حسن، اور پی ٹی آئی لاہور کے…
— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) July 22, 2024
He said all the political parties especially the GDA would be invited to participate in the protest.
He said: “All sections be it farmers, students, traders or workers we all have to save this country”.
The decision to hold the demonstrations on July 26 was taken during an emergency meeting of the Tehreek under its chairman, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, a senior politician from Balochistan, who also heads the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.
