Daily Times

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan ruled the country for more than three years but could not handle the matters of the country in a proper manner.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he said that former prime minister was trying to revive his failed politics by holding public rallies, adding that he was playing with the country’s interests as good relationship with the world was in favour of the country.

The planning minister said the National Security Committee (NSC) twice dismissed the claims of any foreign conspiracy, adding that strong economy was necessary for a strong country and “if we want to be a strong country, we will have to arrange ourselves with the global economy”.

He said the PTI government created hurdles in CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] progress and soured ties with the European Union, the United States and brotherly Muslim countries, and risked isolating the country. He added that the government top priority was to gear up all pending projects, which had been on a slow pace during the past years.

Ahsan Iqbal mentioned that Pakistan will have to put itself on the path to development like Malaysia, Turkey, China and South Korea, adding that he did not want Pakistan to turn into Cuba or North Korea. He said that ex-PM encouraged the deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri to violate the Constitution when no-confidence move was brought against him, adding that now he was portraying Suri as a hero of the nation.

He said that legal action would be taken against him for violating the Constitution and law. He asserted that the PTI was trying to pressurise the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in an attempt to influence the outcome of the foreign funding case.

He termed the frequent mentions of “conspiracy” by the ex-PM the “rona-virus” [wailing-virus], vowing that the country would move forward and the coalition government would fix all issues facing the country. Ahsan Iqbal said Imran Khan brought disrepute to Pakistan by selling Toshakhana gifts abroad. The minister assured that masses would be given relief in some time, adding that the first priority of the government was to overhaul the economy.

To a question about PTI’s long march on Islamabad, he said the government had nothing to do with Imran’s march on the Capital, asserting that ex-PM and his party had been doing all that before and they would continue doing so in future as well. To another question, he said there was no restriction on holding protest demonstrations or arranging public meetings; however no one would be allowed to violate the law.