Hashmi asks Imran to let democracy survive

• Veteran politician asks PTI chairman not to play into others’ hands

Veteran politician and former federal minister Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has called upon Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to avoid irresponsible behaviour in politics.

“I want to ask Imran Khan to let democracy survive,” he said while talking to journalists here at the press club on Monday. He said that Imran could not raise his stature by playing into the hands of others. Hashmi insisted that whatever he was saying should be considered as a statement on oath.

In 2014 when he was part of the PTI, participants of the party meetings used to say that there was no rigging in 2013 general elections, but Imran kept on insisting on sit-in politics, he recalled. To a question, he said that Imran had almost put a full stop on his political career due to his irresponsible politics.

“He (Imran) shoots in his feet every day,” he said and pointed out that there existed seven different parties within the PTI. He also told the media persons that Imran had indulged in corrupt practices during the Kerry Pecker series when he (Hashmi) was the sports minister.

He said that Imran just wanted to make money no matter what happens in the country. He said that Imran should understand that it’s politics, not cricket. He also said that the leadership of the major political parties did not treat him well.

He said that they made him to suffer defeat in the by-elections in Multan. He said that some politicians had asked him not to leave the PTI and instead form a forward bloc. However, he refused to do so and resigned, he told a questioner.

APML REACTS: Responding Hashmi’s criticism against former president Pervez Musharraf, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) Secretary General Dr Muhammad Amjad said that he (Hashmi) cannot rejuvenate his political career by criticising the former military leader.

He said that the political career of Hashmi has gone ended and alleging misdeeds against ‘popular’ leaders was only an effort to live at media forums. “We know what he has been doing in the past and why he left PTI but we keep a mum just to respect a senior politician,” he said.

“Off and on, Hashmi had been leveling ‘frivolous’ allegations against APML chairman (Musharraf) but the party leadership tolerated the ‘filthy’ language with patience. We have right to respond all what it has been said but we believe in moral and ethical politics and showing restraints,” he said.

Dr Amjad said that Hashmi who advocates democracy remained a minister in the cabinet of General Muhammad Ziaul Haq, a former military ruler. He said it was beyond comprehension that a man who served in the cabinet of a military dictator started opposing another uniformed ruler; primarily that was to regain fame and relevance in the contemporary politics.

The APML leader claimed that the veteran politician left PTI after ticket to her daughter was denied. He also claimed that he (Hashmi) received money for awarding tickets in the 2013 elections. He said that Hashmi should immediately stop leveling allegations against Musharraf or APML would give him befitting reply.