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Quoting Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s example, minister says targeting political leadership cannot eliminate an ideology
Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique launched a bitter verbal assault on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, saying that the PTI chief has a tendency to appoint himself as a true representative of the judiciary.
Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, the railways minister lashed out at Imran Khan and Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and said, “They cannot do anything on their own but they still like to criticise the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which has carried out most development work in the country.” He claimed that all development work initiated by his government was carried out in an impartial manner.
The federal minister said that conspirators could target political leaders but could not eliminate an ideology, adding that late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s ideology lived on after he was hanged by late dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.
He cautioned his political opponents against engaging in mudslinging to keep the political atmosphere positive before the general elections. “Legitimate political leadership could not be expelled through politics of allegations and divisions,” he added.
Rafique further said that political parties should not misuse their fundamental right to criticise the system, adding that opponents should refrain from targeting the leaders of different political parties on the basis of personal enmities and ideological clash.
Continuing his diatribe, he said that though all the members of the opposition benches in the National Assembly have been withdrawing their salaries on a monthly basis, still they were not comfortable with attending the assembly sessions. “Our party would try to avoid falling into the traps, including criticism of state institutions, set by political opponents to sabotage the democratic process,” he added.
He also said that though his party had faced many ‘injustices’, it maintained a dignified silence, while adding the system would be disrupted if the party leadership was to reveal everything that had happened in the country’s recent history. He said, “Our party does not favour a clash with any institution, including the judiciary.”
Furthermore, Rafique said that his government would transform every city of Pakistan through revolutionary development projects, adding, “If we are voted into power again, we would finish all incomplete tasks.” He criticised the Sindh government for turning a beautiful city like Karachi into a huge garbage dump.
The federal minister advised opponents to stop criticising development projects like Metro Bus and Orange Line Train projects because no country could make progress without a strong infrastructure.