Imran sets precondition of PM’s resignation for talks

FAZAL SHER, ZULFIQAR AHMAD & WAQAR LILLAH

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday set the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a precondition for initiation of any dialogue. Imran announced on Tuesday that he would take over Prime Minister’s House if Nawaz did not step down.

“There is a fascist behind the innocent face of Nawaz Sharif. How can I believe a transparent investigation into 2013 polls in the presence of a person like him [Nawaz]. It was Nawaz Sharif who ordered his ‘Billu Butts’ today to attack Shah Mehmood’s residence in Multan,” he claimed.

Addressing a charged crowd of his ‘Azadi March’ in the designated secured Red Zone, Imran said he would stay in his container until the prime minister stepped down.

“No matter whether someone stays with me or not but I’ll stay here even for one year,” Imran said while declaring his sit-in venue in front of the parliament as ‘Azadi Square’.

“The name we’ve coined in respect of Tehrir Square of Egypt where a similar protest took place to oust Hosni Mubarak; as we’ve gathered here to throwaway Pakistan’s Hosni Mubarak – Nawaz Sharif,” he said amid ‘go Nawaz go slogans’.

After the resignation of the prime minister, he added, mid-term elections should be held. “We want mid-term elections as a top government minister has admitted on the floor of the house that 70 percent votes could not be verified [and] how can we accept an election if its results could not be verified,” he questioned.

Imran pressed for electoral reforms, saying the incumbent election commission has completely failed to hold free, fair and transparent elections. “All the members of the election commission must step down as they’ve no moral ground to stay there after the fraudulent 2013 general elections,” he contended.

The fourth demand which Khan put forth for holding talks with the government was formation of an impartial interim government through consensus among all political parties.

He said that election reforms must be introduced before holding any elections as under the current electoral system, it could not be expected that Pakistan would ever witness transparent elections.

“We want an electoral system like India’s where political parties accept their defeat. We don’t want any elections under a caretaker set up like ‘35 punctures’. The polls should be held under a neutral setup,” he added.

Spelling out his final demand, he said all those who were involved in vote rigging must be sent to jails. “All the characters involved in rigging should be tried under Article 6 of the constitution,” he said.

“I’d decided to storm the Prime Minister’s House yesterday (Tuesday), but I later changed my mind because Nawaz Sharif is a heart patient,” he said, adding that his presence in the PM House would have given Nawaz a terrible shock. “And this is what I don’t want…if you’ve even little self respect, please leave.” Imran made it clear to Nawaz that “he must stop taking refuge behind the army.”

“Don’t test my patience anymore as a fast bowler could not resist for that long. If I were you I would have walked away before listening to ‘go Nawaz go’ slogans but it’s you who is sticking to his chair despite growing public anger right in front of the parliament,” he reiterated.