Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the Constitutional way to send a government packing is to table a no-confidence motion in the Parliament and dared the Opposition to do so.
“If the Opposition seeks to move a no-confidence motion, they should come and do so in the assemblies,” he said, criticising the call for mass resignations from assemblies by Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. His remarks came during a conversation with journalists in Sialkot.
Speaking further of the resignations, which the Opposition says will be handed in for both provincial as well as national assemblies, the prime minister said: “If they hand in resignations, we will hold by-elections on those seat and will emerge even stronger.”
“I do not understand what they aim to do,” he added.
PM Imran Khan said that democracy will only work in the country if a national dialogue is held between the government and the Opposition, adding that he has never backed down from the idea.
“The best place for political dialogue is the Parliament,” the prime minister said. “I had said from the beginning that I was ready to answer all questions in the Parliament.”
He went on to say that whenever the government talks about dialogue, the Opposition starts demanding the closure of corruption cases against their leaders.
“Cases were filed against many Opposition leaders during their own tenures,” the premier revealed. “Ishaq Dar, Nawaz Sharif’s children and his son-in-law all fled from the country in the past.”
He reiterated that the government is ready to negotiate with the Opposition on all matters except for corruption cases, which are unforgivable, and the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the government will extend full facilitation to the business community for industrialisation and enhancement of exports.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing a gathering of the business community after the inauguration of Air Sial airlines in Sialkot on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister assured that hurdles in the way of promotion of businesses will be removed. He said that special steps are being taken to encourage small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The Prime Minister said that industrialisation and increase in exports will lead to wealth creation and enhancement of foreign exchange reserves. He expressed confidence that Sialkot, Gujranwala and Gujrat will become a key region of exports in the country. He congratulated the business community of Sialkot for building an airport and launching an airline with their own resources.
He underscored that Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar and Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood and the business community have a solid interaction. “They listen to their problems and convey it to us, and we try our best to solve them,” he observed.
Referring to China’s model of inclusive development, Imran Khan said the biggest objective of his government is to uplift the living standard of the poor and bring backward areas at par with other parts of the country.
He said special focus is being laid on the less developed regions such as Balochistan, merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
About the Covid-19 challenge, the Prime Minister said Pakistan is one of the few countries that better handled the pandemic in its first phase. He said the government’s policy of protecting the lives and livelihood of people proved quite effective.
He said now in the second wave, people again need to follow the SOPs so that the pandemic could be overcome. He regretted that the opposition that had been criticizing the government for not observing complete lockdown is not holding public gatherings.
“The same opposition that criticised me for not doing a complete lockdown and used to give the example of India’s Narendra Modi and its lockdown, is now holding public rallies,” he said.
“I will repeat – wear a mask. It is the only way to stop the virus,” the Prime Minister said.
Earlier while inaugurating the airline, the PM said that Air Sial will create competition for other Pakistani airlines.
Air Sial is Pakistan’s third private airline. Its first flight via Airbus A320 landed at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi from the United States last month. The airline had to delay from June because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on air travel.
The airline’s operations will initially rely on three Airbus A320-200s, which have been leased from AerCap, the world’s largest independent aircraft leasing company, based in Dublin, Ireland.
The Premier said he is visiting Sialkot to meet its business community. “The inauguration of Air Sial is just an excuse [for the visit],” the premier said in his address after Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar spoke about the state of Pakistan’s economy.
The PM called Sialkot’s business community the “most vibrant” one in the country. “First you established this [private] airport. No one has done this in such limited resources,” he said, congratulating the business community on launching the Air Sial initiative. The launch of Air Sial, the PM said, is beneficial for all.
