Pak foreign minister slams opposition, says Imran Khan govt will not resign

Even as the Pakistan Democratic Movement intensifies its campaign to oust the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government from power, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday remained adamant that the government will not resign on January 31 as demanded by the Opposition alliance.

“PM Imran Khan enjoys the confidence of the National Assembly. Why would he resign on the Opposition’s demand?” Qureshi, who is also the PTI’s senior vice-chairperson, said while speaking to Geo News, after the 11-party-opposition alliance announced its goal to intensify its anti-government campaign by asking Imran Khan to resign by January 31.

He said that the PDM had earlier announced to resign from the assemblies on December 31, but the date passed, Geo News reported.

“The public has realised the Opposition’s true agenda and their jalsas do not have that strength,” Qureshi said and further claimed that the PDM will contest the Senate elections and by-polls.

However, Pakistan Muslim Leauge--Nawaz vice president Maryam Nawaz said that the PDM will not contest the upper-house elections without consensus. PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that the opposition’s movement would no longer be directed only at the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government but also “his backers”.

Rehman said it was decided after detailed discussions that the opposition will participate in the upcoming by-elections but there had been no decision on contesting in the Senate elections.

“PDM has come out stronger than before and is more determined than before to rid the nation of this illegitimate government,” said the PDM chief and added that all PDM constituent parties had reported to the meeting today that the resignations of “all” opposition lawmakers had reached their party leaderships, in accordance with the December 31 date given for this purpose by the alliance, as reported by Dawn.