Pak PM Imran wants firebrand cleric Rehman tried for statements on toppling govt

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday called for a treason case against his fierce political opponent and firebrand cleric Maulana Fazlur Rehman for remarks on toppling the government.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief launched a major protest dubbed as ‘Azadi March’ against the PTI government in Islamabad in November and demanded the resignation of Khan.

Rehman recently claimed that he ended his protest only after he was given an assurance that Prime Minister Khan will step down and the elections will be held in three months.

“There should be a case under Article 6 against the maulana for his statement regarding the ousting of the government,” Khan said during an informal conversation with journalists.

“The government will complete its term, it’s not going anywhere,” he said, adding that he enjoyed full support of the Pakistan Army.

“I am supported by army since I am not corrupt,” he said.

Khan also slammed the media for attacking his government’s policies, saying he had to face embarrassment in China due to false reports published by some news outlets.

“I have suffered more media attacks in the past two years than anyone else,” he said.

He said even his statements had been changed and false reports published which caused problems for his government.

Khan said due to a false report about his visit to China, he “faced a lot of embarrassment in China”.

He said the media reported that the visit was undertaken to review China-Pakistan Economic Corridor whereas it actually aimed to save the country from a default due to the deficit in balance of payments.

The Prime Minister also defended his decision to seek aid from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China, saying the country would have defaulted without the help from these countries.

He said the government had reduced the current account deficit by 75 per cent in its first year, terming it a big achievement.

Khan said the current account deficit was USD 2.5 billion.

He also said a probe was going on to identify who was responsible for the shortage of wheat and sugar in the country.

He said the government was committed not to further increase electricity prices. He also accused the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for gas price hike.

He announced to introduce electoral laws to ensure transparent elections through technology to put an end to allegations of rigging. (PTI)