Daily Times

Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that everyone – from Chief of Army Staff General Qamar (COAS) Javed Bajwa to a common soldier – stands behind Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“The citizens of Pakistan stand behind PM Imran Khan as well,” he told a private TV channel. He said a person should have the tendency to resolve issues amicably and work along with the institutions. “If soldiers are being martyred in Kargil and if then PM (Nawaz Sharif) goes to India to expand steel business, who will stand by him?”

Separately, Fawad Ch highlighted the significance of Prime Minister Imran’s Khan upcoming visit to Russia, terming it ‘great and game-changer for bilateral relations of the two countries. “It will be a great and game-changer visit, and by the grace of Allah Almighty, and now after China, Pakistan’s relations with Russia are going to get further strength,” he said while addressing media persons.

He said it was happening after a gap of 23 years that Russia would have invited any Pakistani leader to Moscow, which reflected Prime Minister Imran Khan high-stature and leadership qualities. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin had extended great respect and regard to PM Imran Khan, which was rarely given to any leader.

Fawad said Prime Minister Imran Khan was of such a high-stature that his stance was always acknowledged at the world level whether it was on Islamophobia, regional or international issues. The minister said Prime Minister and public representative should be the ones who could enhance the dignity of the people and the country. He said there was no leader of Imran Khan’s stature in the country, terming all political opponents including Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Maryam Safdar and Shehbaz Sharif ‘dwarfs’ in front of the PM.

He said opposition leaders had no credibility within the country and abroad due to their corrupt practices, and ‘no one is ready to listen to them.’

He asked Maryam Safdar to return the money looted by his family if she was a well-wisher of the country. “We have taken one billion dollars from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and value of the apartment owned by Maryam’s brother Hassan Nawaz in London is also the same, if she brings that money back, it will really help overcome our challenges.”

The minister said the opposition had no guts and political prowess to bring no-trust motion against the prime minister. “Those who are trying to bring no-confidence against us do not have trust of their own family.”

He said those who could not succeed in the Senate of Pakistan where they had majority were not in the position to defeat the government in the National Assembly. He dared the opposition to bring the no-trust motion tomorrow instead of the other day.

Fawad expressed the confidence that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf governments in Punjab and Centre did not face any threat from the opposition. “At this stage, no change will come anywhere because nobody leaves the government if it is strong.”

To a query, he confirmed the plan of inducting state ministers in those ministries where the federal ministers were given charge of the party offices.

“Jahangir Tareen will stand by the party and will not take any such decision which harms the party,” he responded to another query.

He asked the leadership and workers of PTI Jhelum chapter to brace themselves for the local government elections as the area was included in those cities of Punjab where its first phase would begin.

Fawad said the PTI had fulfilled all the promises made to the people of Jhelum and it was the time for winning their confidence again. In Jhelum, the PTI would clean sweep during the first phase of the local government elections, he added. He appreciated the stand taken by Communication and Postal Minister Murad Saeed against those who had used derogatory language on the media, adding that the whole nation stands by him as nobody supported such use of language in the country.