Pakistan: If PM suggests governor’s rule will be imposed on Sindh, says province’s governor
Law and order situation has been in a shambles, Imran Ismail says
Karachi: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has said that he will not hesitate for a second to impose governor’s rule in the province if Prime Minister Imran Khan recommends such a measure.
Ismail was expressing his opinion when he was asked by reporters whether he supported the latest recommendation of Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to the PM to impose the governor’s rule in the province.
The Interior Minister gave the advice for taking an extraordinary constitutional measure after reports said the Sindh government of Pakistan People’s Party, what the concerned federal authorities believe, is openly engaged in brazen acts of buying the loyalties of the legislators of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for securing their votes in the looming no-confidence motion against the PM.
The governor’s rule means that the federal government through a decree directly assumes governance of the affairs in a province when an emergency situation beyond the control of the provincial administration arises.
Ismail said that other than the PM, the advice of anyone else to impose governor’s rule in the province didn’t carry any value for him as he was duty-bound to only follow the directives of Imran Khan in this regard.
He confirmed that the Interior Minister while participating in a meeting with the senior office-bearers of the PTI had advised the PM to impose the governor’s rule in Sindh but he wasn’t aware as to what decision had been taken by the government on this proposal.
Ismail said that personally, he hadn’t had any discussions with the PM on the issue.
He was of the view that imposing governor’s rule was not a good option even though affairs of governance regarding the law and order situation and provision of the basic facilities to the general public had been in a shambles in the province.
Ismail appealed to the Election Commission of Pakistan to immediately take cognisance and initiate disciplinary action against the attempts by Opposition parties to buy the allegiance of the members of the National Assembly to make them vote against the PM.
He said the ECP had no option but to take action as Opposition politicians appeared on live television and conceded that they were involved in such unlawful attempts.