Daily Times

Reacting to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations against some parliamentarians of committing treason, PML-N President and Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday requested Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum to disclose all the matter to the nation if it was true. “I demand COAS and DG ISI to take notice of this issue and produce evidence in the Supreme Court if any of us (opposition) has committed treason as claimed by the premier,” Shehbaz said while talking to the media persons along with the party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb and others outside the Supreme Court.

“It is not that we are backing out of our early election demand, nor do we stand against free and fair polls. We wanted early and transparent elections from day one, but that does not give President Arif Alvi and PM Imran Khan the right to mess with the Constitution,” he continued.

He also clarified that none of them had invited any foreign dignitary nor were they involved in any kind of international conspiracy. He also demanded that the SC should also review this matter and create a forum in which the matter was clarified.

Recalling their previous demands, he said, “We have been raising this issue for the last three years that this government and the PM both are illegal.” Replying to a question, Shehbaz said he had not yet officially received a letter from President Dr. Arif Alvi for appointment of the interim premier. He said he will hold consultations with his lawyers and other opposition parties after receiving the letter.

He said the PTI government had promised to provide 10 million jobs and five million houses to the masses but it increased poverty and unemployment during its tenure.

The PML-N president also said President Alvi did not use his own mind and just signed the summary of dissolving the assembly in half an hour. He said that if the matter isn’t resolved, the country will become a “Banana Republic”. By breaking the Constitution, Marriyum Aurangzeb said at the behest of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the deputy speaker had made a mockery of the country’s constitution. “Both the houses – the President House and the Prime Minister House – are inhabited by those who had trampled upon the Constitution just two days ago,” she alleged. She was of the view that since right now the Constitution was suspended, the country was in deep political, economic and constitutional crisis. Marriyum also opined that the prime minister’s orders had no legal and constitutional validity and whosoever complied with his instructions would be deemed as a partner in his crime and proceeded against under Article-6 of the Constitution. She opined that the prime minister, in a bid to remain in office had held the entire nation hostage.

“And thus the country is suffering an irreparable loss,” she said. Marriyum said PM Imran was trying to take cover behind the allegation of a foreign conspiracy to hide his ‘incompetence, corruption and historic failures’.