Asad Qaisar warns against pushing PTI to the wall

Source: The Nation

ISLAMABAD - Former speaker National Assem­bly and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser on Satur­day warned the powers-that-be to refrain from pushing the party of former prime minister Imran Khan to the wall and dragging them to a point of no return.

Speaking at a function organized by the PTI to celebrate Pakistan Day, he further said powerful quarters were mistaken by taking decisions of their choice and running the country's af­fairs according to their free "because the time had changed." MNA Qaiser underlined that PTI would not let any­one to impose decisions of its choice on the country and resist if any such effort was made. He said that March 23 was a day of the renewed com­mitment but they must have to think whether the purpose for which Paki­stan was created was served and the country could be transformed into an Islamic welfare state.

PTI leader lamented that it was not this Pakistan for which their an­cestors rendered matchless sacrific­es as constitution of the country had been virtually suspended and there was no rule of law there. "PTI and its incarcerated leader Imran Khan are striving and battling to make Pakistan a truly independent coun­try where there is rule of law and no one could be subjected to oppres­sion and suppression," he said.

He went on to say that Punjab had been virtually converted into a po­lice state, where even rallies and public gatherings were not allowed.

"You have insulted the mandate of our people, remember we will not let you sit in peace until we take back the stolen mandate," he vowed.

He made it clear that the time had gone when PTI members were co­erced to join another party.

"I will ask my party leadership that as by-elections are to be held; hence they should announce the schedule for public gatherings in Punjab in­stantly," the PTI leader added.

He said that the situation at bor­ders was very concerning especially on the Afghanistan side, demanding the federal government to immedi­ately activate diplomatic channels so as to normalize the ties with neigh­boring countries. Qaiser demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Esa to form a judicial commission to probe May 9 riots and take decision on merit to punish the actual culprits

If a fair investigation was carried out into the incident, it would be es­tablished that former caretaker chief minister Punjab and incumbent In­terior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and police chief of the province were be­hind the entire episode. He said that ex-premier Khan was the only hope of the nation and only he could nav­igate the country out of the prevail­ing quagmire. Speaking on the occa­sion, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan said that Khan believed in true democra­cy, which could be judged from his decision that he awarded tickets to the party's loyalists and made him the chairman of his party.