Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal says that there is no problem if the army and the PTI hold a dialogue, while the army has explicitly said it wants to stay away from politics.
In an interview with Voice of America, Ahsan Iqbal said PTI Founder Imran Khan should tell what he wants to talk to the army about, as he is inviting the army to interfere in politics. Imran Khan has confessed to planning the protest outside GHQ in Rawalpindi on May 9, 2023.
He remarked that Imran Khan's style of politics is full of contradictions, as on the one hand he talks about civil supremacy and on the other, asks the army to intervene. The PTI founder wants the establishment to lead him to the Prime Minister House on horseback. The PTI is a direct attack on the interests of Pakistani state and its style of politics cannot be allowed in any democracy. He suggested the PTI change its behaviour and apologize to the nation and its institutions, after which it can join the national stream.
Ahsan Iqbal said that if there was an incident like that of May 9, 2023 in the US, action would have been taken against the PTI, referencing that those involved in the attack on the US Congress were sentenced to 14 years. There is no room for the PTI in Pakistan with its current style of politics, he remarked.
The federal minister further said that the institutions will take a decision to ban PTI when they deem fit. A party cannot be banned only on a government's wishes, as it has to get a confirmation of the ban from the Supreme Court. He also revealed that the decision to ban the PTI was taken after it launched campaigns abroad. The PTI took a political war to the US, he said further, adding that the PTI will be banned according to the Constitution and law.
The government will not take any unjust or undemocratic step, he claimed.
Ahsan Iqbal said that if the judiciary facilitates instability, it would not be a service to Pakistan, adding that the country could not afford tension at this time. China's security concerns have been addressed, and Beijing has said that the Pakistan-China cooperation would not halt as a result of attacks, he maintained.
The minister said it is Pakistan's responsibility to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens.
