From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Former Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema claimed on Monday the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was working against interests of the people of Punjab.
Speaking to media, Mr Cheema recalled the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) era, saying the economy was growing by six percent during former prime minister Imran Khan’s tenure.
Recounting the facilities given by the PTI-led government to the masses, Mr Cheema said Mr Khan had given the facility of medical treatment to every family, at a cost of Rs10 million.
Speaking of the PTI stalwarts’ arrests, Mr Cheema said, “We could not be blackmailed by arrests.”
Lashing out at the coalition government, Mr Cheema said, “Few of the ministers should avoid giving useless statements and get their medical checkups done.”
Meanwhile, Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi recalled on Monday the demand of snap polls to get the country out of its economic hardships.
Mr Elahi met Tahir Javed, a Texas-based Pakistani businessman and a member of the Democratic Party, to discuss matters of bilateral relations and challenges faced by the overseas Pakistanis.
During the meeting, Mr Javed vowed the US would not take part in any of the unconstitutional activities in Pakistan.
Underscoring the importance of the promotion of trade, Mr Elahi said there was a dire need to further strengthen the economic and bilateral relations between the two countries.
Highlighting the “political vendetta” in the meeting, Mr Elahi said, “The government resorted to wicked tactics to weaken the opposition by arresting and lodging cases against the PTI stalwarts.”
On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser has said that the party is ready to set aside their differences for peace in the country.
In a statement issued on Monday, the PTI leader called upon the government to change its behaviour as the “country is going through serious crises.”
“National unity is the need of the hour,” he said, adding that the government would have to improve its behaviour first.
“In our [PTI] tenure, the government evolved a better strategy and succeeded to restore peace [in the country]. Our strategy was in the best interest of the country,” he added.
Responding to a question about the All Parties Conference (APC), the former NA speaker said that the government’s representatives made a telephone call to him on Sunday and verbally invited him to the multi-party conference.
“It was not an appropriate way to invite anybody to the APC,” he said, adding, “National harmony in Pakistan is out of the question as the government shows unconstitutional behaviour.”
On February 3, PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar said the party Chairman Imran Khan would not attend the federal government’s APC scheduled for February 9 (Thursday). However, earlier the APC was to be held on Tuesday (today).
