LAHORE: Economic Affairs Minister Ayaz Sadiq has announced that general elections will be held after August 2023 after local government (LG) elections in April 2023.
The minister made this announcement on Sunday at a function organized on the occasion of Quaid-i-Azam’s birthday and Christmas.
Sadiq said that the elections will be held in 2023. He announced that first we will go to local body elections in April 2023 and then general elections will be held after August 15.
Speaking to reporters, Sadiq said that if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan wanted to dissolve the assemblies, he should have done it immediately instead of giving dates.
“Earlier he said he would fight his own battle and now he is looking to the establishment to save him and bring him back to power,” Sadiq said, adding that Khan had taken massive loans during his tenure and paid off those loans. Due to this there was massive inflation in the country.
Quaid’s Day
Paying tribute to the Quaid’s efforts to change Pakistan with one thought, the leader of Muslim League (N) said that today is the birthday of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and without him Pakistan would not have existed. Reality
He said that the white part of Pakistan’s flag reflects minorities including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis or any other religion and the state has promised to protect their rights. Sadiq said that today is also the birthday of Jesus.
The Minister said that today is the birthday of Nawaz Sharif, who carried forward the tradition of Quaid-e-Azam Muslim League and made Pakistan prosperous and strong by conducting nuclear experiments.
Keep distance from Chief Minister Elahi Khan
The minister advised Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to distance himself from Khan and contest the next general elections without him as he would not have any support from any side at that time.
He further said that Chief Minister Elahi and his son are already fed up with the behavior of Monis Khan. “MQM and other parties abandoned Imran because of his selfish political thinking.”
New wave of terrorism
Responding to a question about the new wave of terrorism in the country, Sadiq said that Khan Sahib had seen the result of talks with the Taliban as terrorism had started again in the country. He said that Imran Khan did not stop terrorism but started negotiations with those who martyred our children.
The minister said that those who elected Khan and brought him to power in 2018 are responsible for the damage done to the country. He said that the trade deficit reached 45 billion dollars, it seems that Khan has come to destroy the country. He said that he also took money from Indians and then targeted the Chairman of Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said that because of Khan’s policies, Pakistan’s electricity and gas became very expensive.
Bajwa’s support
Sadiq said that in 2018, former Army Chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa supported Khan while Jahangir Tareen MPA and Aleem Khan gave everything but Khan forgot everything and spoke openly against the three persons. Even cases were filed against Tareen’s wife and daughter. .
He said that I know the character of Imran Khan since 1960, the person who uses mothers and sisters to take power is a small person, adding that Pakistan Muslim League-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz faced the cameras in prison.
Taking a jibe at Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, he said that he never took the former interior minister seriously.
He questioned that if PTI claims that their number was complete, then why did Chief Minister Elahi not take the vote of confidence on the constitutional order of the Governor.
Speaking on this occasion, PML-N leader Khawaja Salman Rafique questioned that the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center (PKLI) did not get funds, how will the poor people be treated. He said that why are you in such a hurry to dissolve the assembly, you are in power, serving the people.
‘PML-N has ended terrorism and loadshedding’
Meanwhile, in another event, PML-N leader Rana Mashhood said that Pakistan was established under the two-nation theory. He said that Quaid-e-Azam had created Pakistan so that Muslims could lead a free life and after his death those who were in charge of the country were sidelined and conspiracies were made against the politicians.
He said that the elected representatives of the people should be allowed to make their own decisions and restoration of democracy is the demand of the people of Pakistan.
Mashhood said that PML-N ended terrorism and load shedding while Khan brought back both. The head of the party Nawaz Sharif strengthened the country’s economy and gave big projects to the country and investments started coming from foreign countries.
In 2018, Imran Khan was brought to power by stealing the election. Horse-trading in the Senate was rampant during his tenure, but it was okay at the time. Imran Khan himself said that there is no better army chief than General Bajwa and now General Bajwa is responsible for whatever happened to the country under Imran Khan.
Mashhood blamed Khan for the economic and other problems in the country because he imposed on the people. He said that Nawaz was fired for not taking salary from his son while Khan’s Bani Gala house was declared legal.
