Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan Friday ruled out coalition deals if the party fails to bag majority after upcoming general elections scheduled for July 25.

Talking to a private TV channel, Imran Khan vowed to sit on opposition benches instead of running a minority government, amid predictions that the next government will be made through coalition.He rejected any negotiations or dealings over the party policies with other parties, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The cricketer-turned-politician stressed that making a coalition government creates troubles for smooth implementation of the manifesto of a party. “Would prefer to sit on opposition benches over making deal with the PPP,” he maintained.

Separately, addressing the workers of NA-131, Imran Khan said that the constituency would witness quite a breakneck competition. Lahore, he noted, would be deciding for Punjab, and Punjab, in turn, would be the decision maker for Pakistan.

Talking about preferring electables over ideological leaders of the party, Imran Khan admitted that a disappointment was prevailing within the party over it. He said that the strategy was ‘indispensable’ for winning the elections as “I can only do something for the country after victory in the polls.”

Khan also clarified his position over his ‘controversial’ action at a Sufi shrine in Punjab, following a religio-political storm that has gripped the social media.”Sufism speaks about removing the ego in an individual … people see these things superficially and declare fatwas without knowing the religion, without even knowing the facts whether it was a kiss or a sajda,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, June 30^th 2018.