Next election after present govt completes tenure, says Pak Minister

Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said that the general election will take place after the present government complete their tenure.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Aurangzeb said that general elections are the basic rights of their people and added that the failure of the Results Transmission System (RTS) will not happen again, The Nation reported.

"This time, fog won't appear like it did in Daska. This time, ballot boxes will not be stolen as happened in Daska. This time, officers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will not go missing as they did in Daska," Aurangzeb was quoted as saying by The Nation.

The minister claimed that people had learnt from their mistakes and they will not repeat it by voting for Imran Khan, adding that they realised that he was a "liar and a hypocrite."

Pakistan Information Minister's remarks came a day after Imran Khan held a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan and demanded an immediate election, urging "whoever made the mistake" of ousting him should rectify it and call elections.

She further said that the nation would decide for itself no matter what Imran Khan has been saying and also accused him of trying to malign the institutions, reported The Nation.

"This campaign that you're running against the institutions ... We have taken notice of it," she said and added, "Sometimes you call strained relations with the Army the reason for your government's fall. Sometimes you talk of a conspiracy". "Let me tell you today, the reason for your ouster is you and your deeds," Aurangzeb said.

The Information Minister said that Imran Khan has made the biggest mistakes. "He is the man who snatched medicines from the public. He is the man who created a sugar shortage. He is the man who managed Modi's campaigns. He is the man who laundered money via foreign funding," Aurangzeb was quoted as saying by The Nation.

"You talk about mistakes ... You attacked the Constitution, you attacked parliament, you tried to attack the no-confidence vote. You looted the Bait-ul-Mal by selling the gifts that you got as the prime minister," the federal minister said and added all these mistakes would be corrected now. "The nation has learnt and it will vote for those who brought it growth and prosperity," she concluded.

Aurangzeb said that the 'economic terrorism' and the attack on the Pakistan Parliament and their Constitution were the highlights of the four-year governance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, as reported by The Nation.

"Imran Khan had attacked the Constitution as he tried to scuttle the constitutional move to remove him from the prime minister's office through a vote of no-confidence, but ironically he was asking others for course correction," she said.

Aurangzeb asked the former Prime Minister to say sorry to the nation for skyrocketing the prices of staple food items and medicines by unleashing the 'economic terrorism' in the country.

She further claimed that Khan failed to fulfil his claim of providing 10 million jobs and instead some 6 million people become jobless due to his bad governance.

Aurangzeb accused Khan of patronizing cartels and mafias, which is one of the reasons that led to the increase in the prices of flour, sugar and medicines.

Information Minister pointed out the foreign funding case and said that he was involved in the money laundering case through the foreign funding case, which is being heard by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

She accused Khan of robbing the Toshakhana (State depository) and said, "Toshakhana was the country's Baitul Mal and Imran Khan, the so-called head of the 'State of Madina' robbed it."

Taking a dig at the PTI leadership, Aurangzeb said that even Pakistan won another World Cup only after Khan visited the US.

The minister said Imran last night claimed that Farah Gujjar could not be held accountable as she held no public office, but he should remember that he had ordered to handcuff a daughter in front of her father, who was also not a public-office holder, reported The Nation.

The minister said that Khan's words and deeds are contradictory to each other. She further said that the former PM had been telling lies to the nation for the past four years and delivering similar speeches.

Aurangzeb said that today the civilians were forced to pay expensive electricity and gas bills due to the PTI's bad governance, according to The Nation.

"The present government having representation of all the federating units, would make difficult decisions for the people's betterment and economic revival," she added.

( With inputs from ANI )