Pakistan government, opposition set for post-Eid showdown

Islamabad: After the Eid pause, Pakistan’s politics is back to square one. That means politicians from both the government and the opposition camps have drawn their swords and are indulging in heated arguments, below the belt accusations, threats and counter-threats.

Former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has claimed he will leading 2 million people to Islamabad in the last week of May and will not quit until the government announces early elections.

On the other hand, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has hinted at arrests immediately after Eid Al Fitr in connection with the Prophet’s Mosque incident.

Khan in his recent TV interviews and press conferences has repeatedly said that he will not budge an inch from his claim of ‘foreign conspiracy’ against his government.

Taking to Twitter, he repeated his oft-quoted question asking the Biden Administration why it indulged in a “regime change conspiracy” in Pakistan.

“My question for the Biden Administration: By indulging in a regime change conspiracy to remove a democratically elected PM of a country of over 220 mn people to bring in a puppet PM, do you think you have lessened or increased anti-American sentiment in Pakistan?”

In support of his claim, Khan uploaded a video clip featuring US defence analyst Rebecca Grant who, in a Fox News interview, emphasised the Pakistan government should “stop deals with Russia and change its Ukraine policy”. The analyst said this was why the Khan government was voted out of government.

Khan said in case the ‘puppet’ government of Shehbaz Sharif did not announce an early election, he would give a countrywide call for a long march on Islamabad and they would have no other option than to announce the date for polls.

Ex-interior minister says life in danger

Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Eid Day also hurled threats at the government saying the ‘long march’ might turn bloody if the ‘powerful’ quarters did not intervene.

Speaking to media persons in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, Rashid described the situation as quite serious and gruesome and added things might go out of control if the powers that be did not take notice of it.

Sanaullah also addressed the media and though he clarified that the government did not have a first information report (FIR) registered against Khan and his party leaders in the Prophet’s Mosque incident yet, “action would be taken against people if they hurt the religious sentiments of others.”

Around 150 people, including former Prime Minister Khan, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Shahbaz Gill, Sheikh Rashid, his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq and others have been named in the case relating to hooliganism at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina last week.

The case was registered in a Police Station in Faisalabad on the complaint of a citizen named Mohammed Naeem.

Earlier this week on a designated holiday (Monday) the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had restrained government authorities from taking any further action until May 9 against the PTI leadership in the Prophet’s Mosque sanctity violation case.