ISLAMABAD   -  The newly appointed Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Friday offering the Opposition parties to hold talks with the government said that the Opposition has misunderstood that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government would be sent packing as a result of its Minar-e-Pakistan rally scheduled for this weekend.

“If you (Opposition) are understanding that PM Imran Khan would be removed due to your rally (in Lahore), then make sure that he is not going anywhere,” the Interior Minister said in his maiden news conference hours after Prime Minister re-allocated him new portfolio of Interior.

He invited the Opposition to hold talks with the government but while reading out a couplet warned the former to expect a tit-for-tat reaction from the latter if any bad situation emerged due to its political rallies.  

The Interior Minister said that the Opposition parties were bent on stating that they would not hold a dialogue with PM Imran Khan.

“Then they should speak their hearts out to tell with whom they want to talk,” he said.

“I am sure that PM Imran Khan would win the next election in the presence of such an Opposition.” He reiterated his government’s stance that the Opposition wanted to save its looted money and evade corruption cases through this agitation.

The seasoned politician from Rawalpindi claimed that his new assignment was his 15th portfolio as a member of the federal Cabinet and said that he knew his responsibilities and was experienced enough to handle problems at a time when the government is confronted with the agitation movement of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 opposition parties. “PM Imran Khan would emerge victorious out of all these challenges,” he said.

He said that the Ministry of Interior during his stint would end money laundering, land grabbing and corruption in the country, introduce modern border management system, provide passport facilities to the poor and improve matters of immigration. “I will try to improve the law and order situation in all four provinces,” he said.

Sheikh Rashid while referring to the Opposition’s protest movement said that the power-hungry people were on the streets.

“The country comes first,” he said, adding, that the law enforcement agencies have busted a network of terrorists in Lahore’s Shahdara Area, the other day.

He said that the Opposition was allowed to hold its political rally in Lahore but warned that there was alarming rise of Covid-19 cases in the country.

The Interior Minister chided Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz for carrying out a mobilisation campaign in provincial capital of Punjab for PDM’s rally.

A senior political worker or political leader only gives a call to his supporters and doesn’t distribute invitation cards in every street, he said ,adding, that the politicians used to have ability to see behind the wall. He said that the opposition’s rally was bound to fail.

The Minister went on to state that the Opposition misunderstood that their political stature would enhance like then Opposition leader Imran Khan had got a boost with his Lahore rally in the past.

He said that the Opposition’s popularity graph would decrease with this rally and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s would increase after December 13. “We (in Opposition days) could not produce results due to our 126-day long sit-in,” he said.

Again criticising Sharif family, he said that they got nationalities of foreign countries to save their children but they were least bothered about the children of poor during the pandemic.

Sheikh Rashid claimed that that the country was facing threat within as its Armed Forces were doing their duties on the borders efficiently and with enthusiasm.

“Some foreign investment is being made in the country to create a chaos within but those people who wanted this are bound to fail,” he said.

Replying questions while labelling himself as triple S—short, sweet and smart— political leader, the Minister refuted an impression that he had been given the new assignment to deal with the PDM’s protest movement.

He said that the government was trying its best to bring back former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the country and some legal hitches were being removed in this regard.

About the arrest of the Opposition parties workers ahead of Lahore rally, Sheikh Rashid said that this was a provincial matter.

While talking about Opposition’s expected protest long march towards the capital in January next year, he on a lighter note said that he would offer a cup of Kashmiri chai (tea) to Opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman once he would reach Islamabad.

Responding another question as to what would be distribution of powers between the Advisor to PM on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar and him as Interior Minister, he said that he would be the powerful Minister.

He further said that nobody delegates his powers to some other but these powers have to be claimed.

He also claimed that he would resolve the issue of missing persons.