Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has a ‘surprise’ up his sleeve and will show it only in the upcoming ‘historic’ address on Sunday, prior to ‘no-confidence’ vote in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
In his recent public addresses and media interactions, Khan has been referring to the upcoming rally on March 27, saying it will turn the tide against opposition parties.
After the preliminary debates, voting on the no-trust move would be held on March 28.
Pakistan’s media is giving different interpretations to Imran Khan’s announcement — some of the anchors and analysts claim he would tender his resignation in order to pre-empt the no-trust move while a large number of netizens differ with this viewpoint, saying Khan was such a player who believed in playing till the last ball of the game.
‘Amar Bil Maroof’ rally
The ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has given the title of ‘Amar Bil Maroof’ or ‘Standing with Righteousness’ to the public rally.
During his media interaction, Khan said: “I want the entire nation to join me on March 27 to send one message - that we are not with evil, we are against it.”
In a video message on social media too, he said, “We are against the crimes committed against democracy and the nation, where the conscience of public representatives is being bought with looted money.”
This will give a clear message to all those who are indulging in buying of MPs and no one will dare this in future, he said.
'Will fight till end'
When his attention was drawn to the fact that he was fast losing support of his own party MNAs, PM Khan said he would prevail over the opposition’s no-confidence move and definitely would come out of this crisis successful.
“Let me predict in clear terms that we will succeed in the no-confidence motion because the entire party and our workers are standing with us like a rock and even the debate raging on the menace of corruption and horse-trading has become a topic of every household.”
“Opposition parties have shown all their cards, but I have still kept mine to my chest and will show on that day of my historic address (March 27).”
Talk with opposition out of question
Khan made it clear he would never hold a consultative meeting with Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif as the Sharif brothers — Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz — and Asif Ali Zardari were “corruption brands” of Pakistan.
A gang of thieves is out to buy lawmakers and Members of the Parliament with the money it has looted over the past 30 years. This “gang” is now united and offers a price to public representatives, said Khan.
“They have no ideology,” he said, asking if it ever happened anywhere in the world that politicians took money to dismiss a sitting government.
However, for all his claims and challenges to the opposition to make the no-confidence motion a success, the ground is fast slipping from under Imran Khan’s feet.
“Talk of showing cards at the right time is no more than a political rhetoric,” said the senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
