Sheikh Rashid dejected over tense political situation

RAWALPINDI (Monitoring Desk) : Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday he was depressed over worsening political situation in the country following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. 

“It would be better to go to jail,” the former interior minister lamented over the political turmoil that has spilled onto streets. Lashing out at the ruling coalition of 13 parties, he said their only agenda was to disqualify Mr Khan and put him in jail. 

He said such tactics would not suppress the political status of the PTI chief but they were proving favourable for him. He said the government had shot itself in the foot by taking such an action against the PTI chief. 

He said the ruling partners had crippled the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in order to get their cases removed. Mr Ahmed said the masses were fed up with the incompetent government as it was unable to deliver. 

The AML chief said several people had lost their lives only in Lahore during confrontation between the PTI protesters and police. He said the PTI leaders, who were picked by Imran Khan for talks with the government, had been arrested on court premises. He said security was being provided to those who had looted the public money.

“Pakistan Army is a great institution and it cannot open fire on public,” he said, adding that it was injustice to damage the military’s departments. 

“The basic reason for violence is that the protests are being led by the public itself,” he said.