Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif during his meeting with senior party leaders in London issued instructions on how to handle the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s planned long march towards Islamabad.
Speaking to the media alongside other party leaders after the meeting, Sanaullah said, “Mian Nawaz Sharif guided us on the anarchy [the PTI wants to commit] and the people they plan to gather in Islamabad. But because this is a coalition government, we will take up this matter (the march) in the cabinet.”
“Imran will not be allowed to gather even 20 people in Islamabad let alone two million if the cabinet decides to handle it,” he said.
PTI chairman Imran Khan had said that he would give a call for a long march towards Islamabad after May 20.
Sanaullah lashed out at the PTI, saying that Imran Khan would not be allowed to spread “anarchy” in the country.
When questioned if Imran would be arrested for allegedly likening the army chief with “Mir Jafar”, Sanaullah said all legal requirements would be fulfilled and if an arrest was warranted then it would be made.
The interior minister also addressed the Inter-Services Public Relations statement, which took exception to “imprudent comments” made by the country’s senior politicians against Peshawar Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, and said that the PML-N and Nawaz’s struggle was for the same purpose that “institutions do not take part in politics and are not dragged into politics”.
“We are very inspired that the judiciary and other institutions [are staying away from] the politics. Comments being made against them are wrong and we will defend them,” Sanaullah said.
When asked if corruption cases would be filed against the PTI, he said: “Cases are a very small matter. [Instead], their filth will be exposed. What they’ve done in these past three and a half years with the people will be brought to light.”
The interior minister went on to say the meeting also discussed early elections and the decision at the moment was for the government to complete its term. But he said, “this decision is not in the hands of the PML-N but the forum of our allied parties’ leaders”.
Sanaullah said electoral reforms would be done and some way of representation for overseas Pakistanis would be found as well.
Replying to a question, he said that “Nawaz wants to return to Pakistan and he will come back”.
He added that the meeting decided to challenge the sentence given to Nawaz in a corruption case.
This was the second meeting of the PML-N leaders with Nawaz.
In their first meeting on Wednesday, they had briefed him on the “serious economic, constitutional and administrative crises allegedly inherited by the present government”.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb had said the meeting reviewed in detail the steps taken by the government since it came to power last month and considered recommendations to save the public from inflation and power outages.
The government team presented its views on future measures in the light of economic realities, the statement said.
The visit had marked the Sharif brothers’ first in-person meeting since March 2020.
