LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry has accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of giving an “ill response” to President Dr Arif Alvi’s letter regarding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decision to postpone elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
In a press conference along with PTI general secretary Asad Umar, Chaudhry stated that the prime minister’s response was enough to show how “lowly” he was.
President Alvi had written to PM Sharif asking him to direct authorities to assist the ECP for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in line with the Supreme Court’s order to avoid any complications, including contempt of court.
Chaudhry went on to condemn the use of force by the government, stating that there was no place for forced disappearances in the country. He also mentioned the recent PTI rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, where hundreds of thousands of people rejected the tactics employed by the “fascist” government.
Chaudhry claimed that roads leading to the rally were blocked with containers and that people were being captured from Lahore and labelled “missing persons”.
Asad Umar claimed that next week would be “decisive” in the country’s history. He warned that there would be no space for democracy in the country if it continued to be run the way it was currently being run.
Umar also stated that fascism was at its peak in the country and that a case was lodged against Hassaan Niazi in Lahore after he was commuted to Quetta.
Fawad Chaudhry criticizes govt’s handling of flour subsidies
Furthermore, Chaudhry criticized the government’s handling of subsidies for flour, claiming that six people had died in pursuit of obtaining subsidized flour bags. He also criticized the government for increasing oil prices in Pakistan despite a decrease in the international market.
Chaudhry concluded the conference by stating that the government’s approach to politics had created a big crisis in the country and that they were afraid to face elections.
He added that all eyes were on the Supreme Court and that the country was on the brink of being dragged down to the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list again.
