Daily Times

Maryam-Nawaz-2PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that his government is not qualified to run the country’s affairs and was busy playing musical chairs, a private TV channel reported.

Maryam Nawaz referred to the prime minister’s comments from a day earlier where he had urged his ministers to improve their performance, saying that he did not have a team in place to manage Pakistan’s issues. “He [PM Imran Khan] says that he is not afraid of the PDM and will now bow before it,” she said. “Whether your government is prepared to run the affairs of the country or not, the people of Mardan have decided that they will not rest till you are sent home,” she added.

She accused the government of not having a qualified team to manage Pakistan’s affairs. “He used to say before becoming prime minister that he has a team of 200 professionals. Where is your team now?” she asked “You said you were unaware of the circular debt, the electricity problem and the current account deficit … you said I wasn’t prepared to lead a government, but you were fully prepared to cause a sugar and wheat crisis, as well as causing a Rs122 billion loss on LNG … you weren’t prepared to give 1 million jobs that you promised you would, but you were fully prepared to offer jobs to the foreigners who send money to you,” the PML-N leader stated.

Hinting at an extended sit-in in the federal capital, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Amir and head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman once again vowed to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government from power. “We have to prepare ourselves for the long march [on Islamabad] … we will not rest until this government is removed from power,” he said while addressing the Mardan rally. He said that the people have risen against the “incompetent and illegitimate” government and will return [from Islamabad sit-in] only after sending Imran Khan home. Fazl said that Pakistan is isolated in the world today and no one is willing to trust us. “Both China and Saudi Arabia are annoyed. You returned Saudi money by borrowing the amount from China at 14 per cent interest rate. China did this to you because you destroyed its CPEC project,” he added.

The PDM chief said that opposition has been saying that the current government is inept, but now the premier himself has admitted his failure. “He said that he could not make sense of the figures that were presented before him […] such a government does not have the right to make decisions for the people,” he said.

Separately, Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on the head of Jamhoori Watan Party Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao at his residence in Islamabad and invited him on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Benazir Bhutto to Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on December 27.

Both the leaders discussed prevailing political situation in the country and running an effective movement against government. PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Senator Qurat ul Ain Marri also accompanied the Chairman PPP.