‘Had Khan been my minister, I would have shut him up!’

• CM terms PTI’s threat of suspension of power supply to Punjab from Tarbela ‘declaration of enmity with the nation’

ISLAMABAD

NNI

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that the threat by the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pertaining to suspension of power supply to Punjab from Tarbela was tantamount to declaring “enmity with the nation” and had any minister of his cabinet issued such a statement, he would have “shut him up”.

While talking to a delegation of assembly members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday, the chief minister said that Pakistan needed unity and harmony between provinces at this stage rather than dissension. He said that those promoting parochial differences are doing no service to Pakistan.

The chief minister said that the talk of suspending supply of electricity to Punjab from Tarbela was totally against national interest. He said that those making such comments in the existing circumstances were trying to create differences between the provinces.

Shahbaz said that Pakistan was the common country of all its citizens and the founding fathers of the country had rendered innumerable sacrifices for its creation. He said that the statement of PTI chief Imran Khan about civil disobedience had exposed his “evil designs”.

The chief minister said that he had been pointing out from day one that the real target of long march was to damage national economy and development programmes of PML-N government. He said that only enemies of Pakistan could be happy over the statement regarding civil disobedience. He said that it was not the “biggest announcement” of Khan’s life but his “biggest U-turn”.

Shahbaz said that the fate of Khan’s announcement of civil disobedience will not be different from that of his long march and sit-in. He said time has proved that it was through dialogue and not deadline and ultimatum that issues are resolved in politics.