Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Sunday claimed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was not capable of pulling off its planned long march towards the capital.
The PPP has kicked off its long march towards the capital against the incumbent government and is expected to reach Islamabad in 10 days after travelling through 34 cities and towns of the country.
Bilawal had announced the PPP’s plan to hold long march against the deteriorating economic conditions in the country during a news conference in Lahore after presiding over a meeting of the party’s core committee on January 6.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, the interior minister said: “Bilawal sahab, it is not in your capability that you are staging a long march for 10 days for the prime minister’s resignation.”
“Come to Lal Haveli, we will give you a resignation,” he said with a laugh, referring to his own political office.
The minister also crticised the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its plans for moving a no-confidence motion against the PTI government, saying that there was still a “deadlock” among opposition parties.
He also claimed there was a group of 12 “joggers” — people who might back off from their support — in the opposition and said he fully believed that the PDM wouldn’t be in the capital on March 23.
“All these self-interested people have united against Imran Khan, who will carry out a political cyberattack at the right time. You will get to know, you are underestimating him,” he declared.
The interior minister said the opposition’s movement would fail and it would instead strengthen the prime minister, calling on the opposition to “take care of your own people.”
“Leave our allies. They are with us and will remain with us and Imran Khan,” Rashid said.
However, Rashid said that the government would create no obstacles for the PPP’s long march and that he had held a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on the issue and concluded that the provincial government would take care of the march.
