P.M. Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting of coalition parties at P.M. House. Photo courtesy PID
The ruling coalition on Wednesday warned the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa against joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s planned long march on Islamabad, stressing that no one will be allowed to attack the federal capital.
A statement issued after a meeting of the ruling coalition’s leadership at Prime Minister’s House said that the politicians had discussed the prevailing political and economic situation and offered condolences for the lives lost due to this year’s floods. Expressing satisfaction over the ongoing rescue and relief efforts, they praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership for helping mitigate the impact of the devastating floods, and lauded the armed forces for their aid to flood-hit communities.
“No one will be allowed to attack the federal capital by crossing all limits of Constitution and law,” read the statement on the looming political standoff threatened by PTI chief Imran Khan. “The meeting … has warned both provincial governments [of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa] not to become [part of] any aggression of the PTI against the center,” it said, warning them against becoming a tool of the “chaos and unrest” planned by Khan. “Those who cross the [red] line will be dealt with iron hand,” it added.
In an apparent reference to Khan, the statement described anyone “instigating state institutions to act against the Constitution” as a “traitor, conspirator and rioter.” It alleged the “one” responsible wanted to “push the country into a serious crisis. Therefore, it is necessary to pull legal reins in on him as it is a constitutional demand.”
Audio leaks
The meeting also discussed the audio leaks of conversations recorded at the Prime Minister’s House, expressing concern over the security threat, and endorsing the federal cabinet’s decision to initiate a probe into the diplomatic cipher that Khan claimed “proved” a foreign conspiracy had led to his ouster. The participants urged the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to urgently complete its probe against anyone involved in serious crimes against the state and national interests
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also briefed the meeting’s participants on Pakistan’s economic situation and ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure some relief. Blaming the “disastrous” policies of the PTI-led government for the current crisis, the minister claimed none of the economic indicators showed positive signs.
“The debt of Rs. 20,000 billion taken during the previous government’s tenure pushed the country to the verge of default,” he alleged, adding that he remained hopeful the situation would improve as the rupee’s value against the dollar improved. He reiterated that he believed the “true” value of the dollar was less than Rs. 200. Per the statement, the participants expressed satisfaction over the measures taken by Dar and appreciated his performance.
Separately, the prime minister also met MQM-Pakistan leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, with their discussions focused on evolving a strategy to resist the PTI’s attempts to topple the government.