QUETTA: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah on Sunday stated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan disrespects state institutions and later apologises.
Coming down hard on the PTI chief, Shah said he has no right to stay in politics.
Shah, addressing a group of people in the Saleh Pit area, said that Imran must make it clear if he was truly apologetic about his remarks or he firmly believed his criticism of institutions to be right.
“We have strengthened the parliament and no ‘container’ can threaten it now,” he said referring to the PTI’s anti-government sit-in in 2014 and the use of a container then.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday concluded contempt proceedings against PTI chairman after he personally appeared before the electoral body and submitted a written apology.
The PTI supremo had been accused of issuing contemptuous remarks against the ECP at two separate occasions—in January this year and later in September.
The first contempt application was filed on January 23, 2017, after Imran and the party refused to submit PTI’s financial documents to the ECP, while accusing the polls supervisory body of political bias in a review application dated January 9, 2017.
The second contempt application against Khan accused him of casting aspersions on the ECP during a press talk in Karachi on September 20.
It is important to note that both of these contempt applications were filed by filed by a disgruntled party member Akbar S Babar—who had initially moved the ECP to crosscheck the PTI’s alleged funding by foreign sponsors.
Talking about Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, Shah stated that he had repeatedly reminded Nawaz to give due precedence to the parliament, adding that leaders often believe they cannot be removed once in power.
“The centre of power is only the masses,” he reminded.
“I always advised Nawaz Sharif to seek solutions to problems in the parliament. However, both Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan consider coming to the parliament an insult,” he added.
