MULTAN - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said on Sunday those asking the army to intervene in politics were enemies of the motherland, the nation and the armed forces, adding if martial law was imposed a big mutiny would take place against it.
Addressing a news conference here at his residence, he asked the government and the armed forces to hold Sheikh Rasheed accountable for his derogatory statements in the media against the army and the Parliament. He disclosed the core committee of PTI had decided unanimously that the marchers would not move towards the Parliament and the Prime Minister House, but Imran Khan changed his decision.
He demanded the government release all arrested workers of PTI without surety bonds. He said Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jahangir Tareen and all others had made a unanimous decision in the presence of Imran Khan that they would not take any step that could pave the way for imposition of martial law. “Today I ask all of them, including Imran, to tell me why and on whose direction he changed that decision and announced to move towards the Parliament,” he said.
He claimed he was still the PTI president and was waiting for a show-cause notice. “I will write the whole truth as my answer on that notice. I ask my leader Imran Khan to tell me whose decision was to march towards the Parliament,” he added.
Hashmi said the Supreme had no right to play the role of a facilitator in the prevailing situation. “We all bow down to the Supreme Court, but it can’t issue any order beyond the Constitution. I request the court to summon me so that I can give it more details,” he offered. He said the Constitution was a sacred document and all institutions, including the Supreme Court, accepted its supremacy. “I request the honourable judges of the Supreme Court to play their role while staying within the Constitution,” he added.
He disclosed a crony of Musharraf, Ijaz Shah, had said that if martial law was imposed, they would move the Supreme Court and it would give decision in their favour. He added Sheikh Rasheed said on this occasion the army would settle all issues as it would ask the Supreme Court to announce a technocrat government for three months. “He (Sheikh Rasheed) was of the opinion that the public would accept the decision of the Supreme Court and even if Nawaz Sharif did not resign, this verdict would end his story,” he claimed. Hashmi said: “Some retired generals were even in more hurry because Gen Hameed Gull had announced a date for the government’s ouster by saying it was its last night, but I held a press conference and informed the nation of the truth.”
Answering a question, he said Sheikh Rasheed was a weird character of Pakistani politics as he was the only one who had always been spotted whispering in the ears of Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf, Imran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and the army. He alleged Rasheed hatched a conspiracy to create rift between the Parliament and establishment by giving derogatory statements against the army. He Sheikh Rasheed had become self-appointed spokesman for the army and PTI. “Rasheed could get just 13,000 votes from his own Rawalpindi constituency against my 74,000 votes,” he recalled.
To a query, he said Imran Khan was a simple Pathan who was being misled by Sheikh Rasheed and some retired generals. He added the advisers of Imran Khan took him and his sit-in to the point of no return. He said though the policies of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were wrong, no one would be allowed to prey on them.
He said the floods caused much more devastation than expectations. He asked Sharif brothers to take practical steps for the rehabilitation of the flood affectees instead of mere photo sessions otherwise they would have to face severe public reaction. He asked the leadership of PTI to step forward at this difficult time and support flood victims in south Punjab. He demanded the government divert all resources towards flood-hit areas, pay Rs 500,000 to the families of each person killed by the floods.