Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Saturday said out of their obsession for power, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders are treading an undemocratic path to dislodge a democratically elected government by creating chaos in the country through their protests.
“The 11-party alliance, which is known as PDM, is only ‘democratic’ by virtue of its name, but its narrative has nothing to do with the democratic norms,” Shibli Faraz, flanked by Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, told a news conference here. “The PDM’s narrative is ridiculous as the so-called democratic alliance wants to come into the power after toppling the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government through unconstitutional and undemocratic means,” he added.
The minister said the present government is a ‘democratic’ dispensation as it had come into the power after winning the last general election, which were held in a transparent manner and later verified by the international organizations including FAFEN (Free and Fair Election Network). Unlike the PDM, Shibli Faraz said, the PTI had approached the apex court for recount of votes in four constituencies which led to the formation of a judicial commission and later it was proved that rigging did happen in those areas during the 2013 general election. Likewise, the question [of election rigging] was also raised by the party at the Parliament, he recalled.
“Whether these political parties, claiming to be the champions of democracy, have utilized any such platform! Did they go to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) or plead their claim [of rigging] at any legal forum or raise the issue at the Parliament and in its committees?” Shibli said, while questioning the PDM’s credibility. “What are the evidences they have,” Shibli added, while asking the opposition leaders to make the evidences public, if any, to justify their claim of alleged rigging in the last general election.
Slamming the 11-party alliance, he said that the PDM started an anti-government campaign after they were unable to get the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to cover their wrongdoings. Taking a jibe at PDM cheif Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said that a campaign has started against the the person who is leading the opposition to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan. Faraz said that Fazl’s party members have shown no-confidence in him, adding that there has been a ‘revolt’ in JUI-F. “Maulana Fazlur Rehman has immersed himself in worldly things,” Faraz said, adding that Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Sheerani had asked the JUI-F chief to come back on the right path. Responding to the expulsion of Maulana Sheerani and Hafiz Ahmed from JUI-F, he said that Fazl’s attitude is like that of a ‘fascist’. Shibli said that the PDM was ‘falling apart’, and that they had ‘differences within’. The information minister claimed that none of them wanted to resign from the assemblies. He said that it has been a policy of the opposition parties to resort to threats instead of responding to corruption cases, adding that they aim to destabilise a democratically-elected government.
Gandapur said that Fazl was not above the law and that he should be answerable for his ‘corruption’. “Maulana Sherani has also asked questions, he needs an answer,” Gandapur said, adding that the JUI-F leader had termed Fazl ‘selected’.
The federal minister asked Fazl why was he threatening the institutions if he was not involved in corruption. “I will provide more proof of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s property that is worth billions of rupees,” he said, adding that the government would not spare him. The federal minister, speaking more on the expulsion of JUI-F leaders, said that kicking out people from the party is not democracy. “PDM is a dacoit movement […] So from now on, it should be termed a dacoit movement,” he added.
