LAHORE: Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday announced that government will stop PTI’s long march to Islamabad if it leads to anarchy and bloodshed.
She was speaking at a press conference in Lahore. Her comment came in response to former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed’s statement when he expressed his fears that the PTI’s planned long march might get “bloody” and demanded the “powerful quarters” to intervene.
She further said that Imran Khan, through his “independence march”, will not be able to distract the attention of the masses from the Farah Gogi corruption scandal.
Aurangzeb criticized former prime minister Imran Khan and said that nothing is bothering him more than the fact that Shehbaz Sharif has become the country’s premier through a democratic process.
“An incompetent, thief and the corrupt prime minister was removed from power through a no-confidence motion,” said Aurangzeb, adding that his allies left him because he failed to fulfill his promises.
Addressing Khan’s alleged US-backed conspiracy which, according to him, led to his ouster from the government, Aurangzeb asked: “What kind of atomic bomb were you making that the United States felt threatened by you and sought to remove you from power?”
“There was no conspiracy. Imran Khan is not sad about his ouster but he cannot tolerate Shehbaz Sharif replacing him,” she said, adding that Shehbaz did not get a single vote from a “turncoat” to become the premier.
She said that despite being in power for almost four years, Imran Khan is still hurling accusations against his opponents.
She said that Imran Khan must answer for burdening the people of Pakistan. “The Farah Gogi movement that was launched from Mianwali yesterday, you cannot use it to divert attention from your performance. Everyone is asking who is Farah Gogi, who robbed the province of Punjab with both hands, where you installed a deaf and dumb chief minister there,” she said.
Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that Farah Gogi fled Pakistan after accumulating billions of rupees.
She said all of the benamidars who acted on Imran Khan’s instruction would be held accountable. You may be happy with the Farag Gogi movement but people of Pakistan are asking other questions, she said.
The information minister also called out Imran Khan for his claims about the alleged US-backed “conspiracy” to ouster him and said “what nuclear bomb you made” or launched development projects that the US conspired against you.
She said the real conspiracy against Pakistan was hatched by Imran Khan who received foreign funding.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Imran Khan feared that Shehbaz Sharif would improve the situation of the country and this was the reason he was seeking early elections.