Islamabad [Pakistan], June 9 (ANI): Pakistan Defense Minister Khwaja Asif on Wednesday said former Prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was trying to reach out to the establishment due to confusion and frustration over his failure.
“Imran Khan is confused and bereft of senses as a result of frustration and failure. His rhetoric against the Pakistani army is still resonating in the air, but he is now seeking assistance from the establishment,” Geo News quoted Asif as saying.
This comes after PTI chief Imran Khan, during a recent rally said Pakistan could “break up into three parts” if the establishment did not take the right decisions.
Following his ouster from power, Khan has been holding several rallies, reiterating the foreign conspiracy allegations and his rebuke of the “selected government” against the Shehbaz Sharif government.
While indicating the regime of former prime minister Imran Khan as a failure for the country, Khawaja Asif said that the government is moving towards stability with each passing day.
“Due to the inability to clean up the mess of the past four years, we took painful decisions with some delay, and more will be required I n the days to come. However, the outcome of our tough choices will be in the country’s best interest,” he added.
On being asked about the losing popularity of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) party, as revealed by a survey by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR), a research firm that specializes in surveys and Social Science Research, Khawaja said that he urged the coalition partners of the incumbent government to contest the next general elections from the platform of Pakistan Democratic Movement, Geo News reported.
“I also urge that our coalition government allies contest the next general elections together,” he stated, adding, “not only will we win the general elections, but also the next by-elections,” Khawaja said.
He further said, “Though PML-popularity N’s might have declined, this might be reversed when the masses get the dividends of our policies,” Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s National Economic Council on Wednesday announced to close the markets across the country by 8:30 pm in order to save the electricity consumption in the country.
Defending the decision, Khawaja Asif said, “This decision will save electricity and the power shortage issue will be resolved in the next 20-25 days.”
Amid the political instability and worsening economic crisis, the Pakistan masses are burdened with severe power cuts and increased electricity tariffs. It was reported that Pakistan is facing an acute electricity crisis resulting in a power shortfall of 6,500 megawatts (MW) accompanied by long hours of load shedding, lasting up to 12 hours.
Against a demand of 26,000 megawatts, the power supply in the country remained at 19,500 megawatts, reported Ary News. Rural areas in Pakistan are experiencing power cuts for up to 12 hours.
Meanwhile, the recent report of the survey conducted in Pakistan by the Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR), stated that a total of 43 per cent of respondents in Pakistan have held former Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government accountable for the country’s adverse economic conditions.
According to the findings of the survey, 43 per cent of respondents slammed the three-year PTI rule for its inability to control inflation and for the country’s debilitating economy, reported The News International. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.