Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah has stressed the need for the PML-N-led coalition government to “remain alert” as the rival PTI leaders expecting snap polls and the ouster of the incumbent rulers later this year.
However, the PM’s aide said that the government was not afraid of losing power as the PTI has been claiming, but isn’t unwary of the situation or possibilities either.
The statement comes during Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, in response to a question about recent statements by PTI leaders hinting at the former ruling party’s return to power.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan earlier in the day conveyed that the incarcerated party founder Imran Khan message that the nation should “prepare for new elections”.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser has also expressed optimism about improvement of the conditions for the embattled party soon and its position to form government in December.
“There is no importance of such statements. But we can see that some things are being done,” said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.
He said that “they [PTI] may state the things differently in the press conference, we know what is going on”.
The former security czar said that the PTI leadership has been making claims in their private meetings that the PTI founder had told them that a deal was reached and the party workers should prepare for new elections in November.
“If attempts are made to turn Supreme Court, its decisions, Constitution and rule of law in the favour of one party then the outcome would not be good at all,” he added.
Sanaullah said that the current situation was similar to 2014 when Khan hatched plots to send then prime minister Nawaz Sharif packing.
Referring to the PTI leaders’ statement about the government’s ouster and new election later this year, the PM’s aide said the government to “remain alert and manage things accordingly”
“We are neither criticising nor are we fearful but we’ll see later the amount of truth in this,” he said.
Maintaining that the former ruling party is misjudging the situation in view of the recent favourable verdicts from the courts, Sanaullah said it could not be said with certainty that whether the PTI would be able to achieve desire outcome or not.
“But we are sure that it won’t happen,” he added.
When asked about the government’s inability to keep Khan behind the bars after the relief he has been getting from the courts, the minister further said that the deposed prime minister has ruled out the possibility of sitting with his foes and work out the matters “so no one can predict that who will get the favourable results”.
