FM Qureshi says PTI govt will not resign on opposition’s demand

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The PTI government will not resign on January 31 as demanded by the Opposition alliance, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Saturday.

He was talking to Geo News after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) announced to intensify its anti-government campaign and again asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to step down before the deadline.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, after an important meeting at Nawaz Sharif’s residence in Lahore, dismissed reports about differences among the component parties and said the alliance “is stronger than before” and added that rumours about conflicts within the PDM are false.

Qureshi, who is also the PTI’s senior vice-chairperson, said, “PM Imran Khan enjoys the confidence of the National Assembly. Why would he resign on the Opposition’s demand?”

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

“The public has realised the Opposition’s true agenda and their jalsas do not have that strength.”

He claimed that the PDM will contest the Senate elections and by-polls.

The leaders of the PDM on Friday said that member parties of the alliance will take part in the by-polls, but a decision related to the Senate elections will be taken later.

Speaking to journalists, Fazl vowed that the alliance is ready, more than ever, to rid the people of Pakistan from the incumbent government, and reiterated that the government only has one month to resign, after which PDM members will join heads and start planning the long march.

“We will decide whether to hold long march towards Rawalpindi or Islamabad,” he said, adding that the alliance will announce the date and venue soon.