Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to mend ties with the disgruntled leader of ruling PTI, Jahangir Tareen, amid opposition’s efforts to oust the premier through a no-confidence vote, a private TV channel reported. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Rashid, who is also a close confidante of the premier, said politicians “never shut their doors” on their opponents. He also cited an example of the recent historic meeting between the top leadership of PML-N and PML-Q after a hiatus of 14 years. “I hope Jahangir Tareen will act responsibly since he is a seasoned politician and in my personnel opinion there is no harm in engaging with him,” he remarked.
His statement comes amid reports that disgruntled group of PTI lawmakers led by Tareen is considering supporting the opposition in the no-trust move against the government. Rashid, while commenting on opposition’s no-trust move, said PM Imran would emerge victorious in this political battle and the opposition would face embarrassment like in the past.
“It is the job of the opposition parties to garner support of 172 MNAs in the National Assembly to pass the no-confidence motion but after failing to do so they will make excuses such as they were [pressured through] ‘phone calls’ or their members contracted coronavirus,” he quipped. Amid a deteriorating law and order situation, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that if Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah asks for help, the federal government is willing to deploy Rangers personnel in Karachi’s police stations. “We are ready to provide Rangers to Karachi’s police stations if CM Sindh [Murad Ali Shah] asks,” said the interior minister.
The security czar of the country noted that the law and order situation in Karachi was “very concerning.” It feels like there is “no law” in Karachi and its impact may be very concerning, he added. The offer by the interior minister came a day after CM Murad said that strict measures will be taken to curb street crime in Karachi.
The decision was taken during a meeting held to discuss the rise in street crimes in the metropolis. CM Shah said incidents of street crimes have increased in the city while police and rangers personnel are nowhere to be seen. Shah said that incidents of theft and other crimes were happening due to the presence of several “habitual criminals” in the city.
