ISLAMABAD - Holding the incumbent government responsible for the present fuel crisis in the country, Pakistan Tehreek-s-Insaf (PTI) Wednesday demanded that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his cabinet should step down.
Central Information Secretary PTI Dr Shireen Mazari, addressing a press conference at the party's central office, said, "Prime Minister and his cabinet should resign if the government is not capable to overcome such crisis, and fresh election should be held in the country."
"Either the petroleum minister should resign or PM should fire him as no one, from the government, has taken responsibility of this crisis," she also said adding that the PM should seek resignations from all ministers who were responsible for the crisis. This is sheer negligence of the government, she said.
She asked the PM to improve governance in the country and not to waste national resources on the foreign tours. "PM and his ministers are enjoying full perks and privileges but are not willing to perform their duties," she opined.
Dr Mazari criticized the PM for protecting his ministers during the petroleum crisis which, she said, PM Nawaz Sharif was trying to push the issue under the carpet by only suspending and transferring few officials. "PSO chief had no qualification except his close relationship with the petroleum minister," she blamed.
Expressing her fears, she said that after the fuel crisis, electricity crisis was looming over the country, as furnace oil reserves were about to end. "When we were holding sit-in, the government had to reduce the petroleum prices," she gave credit to his party.
Dr Mazari said that the incumbent government was not looking serious to take action against terrorists, their abettors or supporters and it was just hoodwinking by mere giving lip service. She said that ISPR busy in issuing statements on war on terror though it was the responsibility of information ministry. She said that even that the government has done nothing to implement the National Action Plan NAP) on Counter Terrorism except conducting meetings while the army was playing its role, she said.
Responding to a question regarding acceptance of PTI resignations from Sindh Assembly, she said that PTI would not return to assemblies unless its demand of formation of judicial commission to investigate rigging in 2013 general elections is met.
"There is no room for change of PTI stance in this connection," she said.
Responding to a question about PTI's plan to participate in the upcoming Senate elections, Dr. Mazari said that the party has yet to take a decision and the core committee would take up the issue once Imran Khan returns.
She denied that PTI had called off its sit-in on the directions of army. She clarified that PTI neither had come out to streets nor called off its protest sit-in on army's direction.
About the status of talks with the government, the PTI Information Secretary said that talks were moving forward and there was flexibility in government's response. She said that government was showing flexibility, as it knew that PTI had the street power.
She denied reports about the possibility of any meeting between Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri and PTI chief Imran Khan when both were in Saudi Arabia. "The only purpose of Khan's visit is to perform Umrah along with his wife," she said adding that it was mere a coincidence and nothing else. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was going there separately along with his family.