ISLAMABAD - Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has rejected PTI’s criticism on the appointment of caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi and extended full support to him from PDM side and wished that under his leadership free and fair elections would be held in the province. Addressing a news conference here on Monday, Kh Asif said PTI chief Imran Khan was heading gradually towards a complete political failure as all his decisions were proving wrong and miscalculated. He also welcomed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision of appointing Mohsin Naqvi being taken as per law and said that the entire process was done according to the Constitution. The minister clarified that the nominees presented by PTI and others did not have good exercise as one of the nominees was a serving government employee and the other was a dual national. “Their vetting was not good for these nominees. So that’s why they had to face humiliation in this case,” he added. Moreover, the government’s nominees had one former civil servant and one media personality, he said, adding, “PTI also gave the name of another honourable bureaucrat who himself apologised to take the task. Hence the PTI’s objection on Naqvi’s appointment is a foul cry.” While clarifying the media over the allegations of the plea bargain against the interim Punjab chief minister, he said Naqvi’s name was dragged into an issue of NAB plea bargain but the fact was that he had taken some loan from the accused in Haris Steel Mill Case in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Imran Khan heading gradually to complete failure : Khawaja Asif
“Naqvi provided a cheque with a letter during the probe and returned the loan to the accused. A few news articles erroneously reported it as a matter of plea bargain whereas one letter could not be considered as a plea bargain. And, if he has done anything illegal then we are not going to defend him,” he added. The Minister said Naqvi was the coalition government’s nominee and it was his right to defend him. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), he said it was propitious to have a unanimous nomination for KP interim Chief Minister. About the former Punjab Chief Minister Punjab, Asif said, “However, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and PTI had most of the objections. Elahi at this age has gone against all his relatives and may God bless him with a long life. He has gone against his eldest brother Chaudhary Shujat, and Naqvi is his son-in-law in relation. He must make efforts to unite them.” Commenting on the National Assembly (NA) situation, he said the PTI had tendered resignations at the National Assembly after hurling abuses on the Assembly and used foul language against the Parliament which was known to all. “Imran Khan used indecent language against the NA and now they all want to return to the same platform.
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They (PTI) are demanding justice from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) whom they rebuked indiscriminately.” The Minister said the PTI leaders and MNAs were demanding withdrawal of their resignations, whereas they should have led the opposition earlier and avoided confrontation with the Parliament. “The PTI should stop believing that the institutions like Courts, ECP and Parliament will pay the price for their wrong decisions.” Imran Khan, he said, was a ‘failed project’ and he wanted to revive himself on the political scene, adding, “I believe that he is gradually losing ground in the political arena.” He said that historically, Imran Khan always resigned after becoming an MNA. “Back in November 1, 2007, he tendered his first resignation then boycotted, later in 2013 and 2014 he first resigned and then withdrew it, and now recently in 2022 he again gave his resignation and is demanding its withdrawal,” said Khawaja Asif. Besides, Khan had contested eight elections and his companions claimed that he would contest on 35 seats which now increased to 70 vacant constituencies. As per his antecedent, he would also resign and re-contest, the Defence Minister said. “Imran Khan is losing sanity and becoming obsessive as his behavior, his political conduct and backing out of political decisions qualify him to an uncertain state of mind.
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Any individual with a stable mind can never make such statements and decisions. The price for that is being paid by his workers and MNAs,” Khawaja Asif said. His MNAs, he noted, were still living in the Parliament Lodges despite after one year of resignations and were enjoying all perks. “This means it was not a conclusive decision and not a final verdict on consensus in the party.” He claimed that this issue would be settled after general elections to be held as per the Constitution and it would further prove how much popularity Imran Khan has and what status he bears in the country.