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AWALPINDI, (MANEND NEWS): Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid
Ahmed on Thursday claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will
win the Azad Kashmir elections and Imran Khan and bat will form
government in Azad Kashmir, adding that in Gilgit-Baltistan elections
the people listened the opposition but voted for bat. He said that Prime
Minister Imran Khan will personally take part in election campaign in
Azad Kashmir and will address five public gatherings in Mirpur,
Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed hoped that
several political opponents will take back their nomination papers. He
said that the politics of Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Mian Muhammad
Shehbaz Sharif is different and both have gone far away from each
other.
While talking to media persons, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the
course of politics in Pakistan would change following a closed doors
briefing to lawmakers by the military high command scheduled for
later in the day. Sheikh Rashid said that he thinks that there should be
good relations between government and opposition and both should sit
together on electoral reforms, adding that we will sit together after
Azad Kashmir elections.
He said the country’s politics would now centre on national security
after the Parliamentary Committee on National Security receives the
briefing on the situation in Afghanistan and other strategic matters.
“I will be attending the important meeting at 3pm today,” the interior
minister told media persons, adding that he foresaw the government
and opposition treading a new path together in politics after it.
To a question, he remarked that the same opposition that had been
talking about toppling the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had
now mentally accepted that Imran Khan would lead the country for the
next two years.
“They bode us farewell on December 30, [2020],” he recalled,
referring to claims of ousting the government from the now split
opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
The PDM had warned last year that lawmakers from its member
parties would hand in their resignations in the national and provincial
assemblies if the PTI government did not quit by December 31,2020.
But, the interior minister said, the budget sailed through the national
assembly with majority.
However, he added that he believed that the government and
opposition should work together and talk on electoral reforms.
The interior minister said Pakistan wanted peace in Afghanistan,
suggesting in his personal capacity that other stakeholders, such as
Qatar, may also be approached for restoring peace in the war-torn
country if the need arose.
“We want the Afghan government and the opposition to unite and that
there is no civil war,” he said. “Reconciliation in Afghanistan means
peace in Pakistan.”
He added that Pakistan expected that no country would use its land
against it, just like it had not used its land against another country. “It
will not be allowed,” he said.
“Our neighbours, including India and Iran, will be interested in politics
in Afghanistan,” he added, assuring that Pakistan would make all-out
efforts to restore peace in Afghanistan. “Our policy should be that
peace is ensured in Afghanistan.”
When asked about the policy with regards to Pakistan’s relations with
China and the US amid their emerging rivalry, Rashid emphatically
said: “We want to have good relations with all, but not at the cost of
our relations with China.”
He also refuted allegations made by Indian Minister of State for Home
Affairs G Kishan Reddy, who accused Pakistan of being involved in
alleged drone attacks in occupied Kashmir.
“I condemn his statement,” he said, adding that Pakistan was not
involved in perpetrating any attacks in occupied Kashmir.
The interior minister went on to say that India had resorted to blaming
Pakistan for the incident to deflect criticism from its failure in the fight
against Covid-19.
“Pakistan wants peace with India, but that is not possible without a
solution to the Kashmir issue,” he said.
He expressed hope that the PTI would win the upcoming elections in
Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is already in the government in a majority of provinces and after
winning elections in Kashmir, the PTI will become a national party,” he
said.
Asked about the recent blast near the residence of Hafiz Saeed in
Lahore, he said he would give credit to the Punjab police for arresting
suspects within a short period of time. The interior minister informed
media persons that a few more suspects involved in the incident had
been held in Karachi.
He added that while foreign elements, such as India’s premiere
intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), may
perpetrate such acts of terrorism to destroy Pakistan’s peace in the
future as well, they must realise that the country’s police was now as
well-trained as its army.
Rashid further stated that Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran
had been partly fenced and while the completion of fencing would not
rule out the possibility of attacks from the two countries, it would
certainly help improve the situation.
Sheikh Rashid further said that Pakistan has been fighting terrorists for
last 20 years and revealed that work on border fence with Iran and
Afghanistan is almost complete.
He also rejected accusations of Pakistan’s involvement in drone attack
in IIOJK and said that India is blaming Pakistan to hide its own
failures.
Sheikh Rashid said that fencing along the Afghan border would be
completed within two months. The interior minister added that fencing
along the border was 88 per cent complete whereas 46 per cent of the
Iranian border had also been fenced.
“Pakistan is not allowing anyone to use its land against any country,
and other countries should also ensure it,” Minister Rashid added.
Responding to a question, the Interior Minister urged the opposition
parties to sit with the government to introduce electoral for
transparent elections in the future. Replying a question Sheikh Rashid
said that Rs55 billion have been allocated for Nala Lai Express project
which are less funds but we are going to start the work on project.