Claiming the opposition will reconsider its decision to resign from the parliament, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the resignations should be handwritten, media reported yesterday.
“Computer printed resignations have no legal value,” he pointed out while talking to reporters during a visit to the office of Islamabad chief commissioner.
About the controversy whether the opposition Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) PML-N parliamentarians Murtaza Javed Abbasi had tendered his resignation or not, the minister said that (PML-N vice president) Maryam Nawaz had in her speech at Larkana rally claimed that the lawmaker would “throw” his resignation before the speaker of the National Assembly. But on the other side, he added, “you see Abbasi saying ‘I did not send this’ to the speaker”.
The minister said it was up to Abbasi to decide “whether he wants to listen to Maryam” or get an investigation done as to who sent a resignation in his name to the National Assembly Secretariat. “I am sure that he will say to the speaker that it [sending the resignation] was a fraud.”
Rashid said the opposition’s main battle was actually against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the process of accountability.
The minister took a swipe at PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, accusing the two of running money laundering networks. He said they just wanted the government and NAB to ignore the cases against them.
He particularly mentioned Manzoor Paperwalla belonging to Pind Dadan Khan, who allegedly gave $8 million to Hamza Shahbaz, Sharif’s nephew, and a falooda (sweet drink) seller who is said to have millions coming into his fake account created for money laundering.
Responding to a question about Sharif opposing a national dialogue, Rashid said the opposition leaders kept “silent” for two years because they thought they would get an opportunity to save their skins.
However, he added, they suddenly got united when they realised that what they wanted did not happen.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had only one slogan: he would neither give any reconciliation deal nor would NAB be disbanded whether the proposed national dialogue was held or not.
The minister said the government would decide its response when the PDM announced the date for its long march.
“Imran Khan can take any decision. We have not held a meeting and are yet to decide when and where we will set up reception camps for them,” he said while castigating the opposition.
Rashid said that Pakistan Army neither remained involved in politics nor would it do so in the future.
“Pakistan Army was with democracy, is with democracy and will remain with democracy,” he declared.
He wondered why the opposition did not name General Zia when they talked about the alleged role of the army in politics. Referring to Nawaz Sharif’s close association with the former military dictator, he said: “They are a product of GHQ’s gate number four.”
He was responding to the speeches of PDM leadership made a day before at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Larkana on the occasion of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary.
SCATHING: Sheikh Rashid
