‘Target political opponents instead of fighting with the establishment’: Pervaiz Elahi

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi while giving an interview to Voice of America (VOA) said that the no-confidence motion succeeded against a sitting government and the establishment did nothing about it.

Commenting on the neutrality of the establishment, Elahi said, “Can there be more neutrality than this? So it is not correct to say that they are not neutral. They [establishment] are neutral so target political opponents instead of fighting with the establishment.”

Talking about the relations between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and the establishment, Elahi said, “We are also trying to improve the relations between Imran Khan and the establishment. Whenever we went to Khan Sahib, we said that we don’t need to fight.”

مسلم لیگ (ق) کے مرکزی رہنما اور اسپیکر پنجاب اسمبلی چوہدری پرویز الہٰی نے عمران خان کو مشورہ دیا ہے کہ اسٹیبلشمنٹ سے لڑائی کے بجائے وہ سیاسی مخالفین کو ہٹ کریں۔ ملک کی موجودہ سیاسی صورتِ حال پر چوہدری پرویز الہٰی کا انٹرویو دیکھیے وائس آف امریکہ کے اسد صہیب اور نوید نسیم کے ساتھ۔ pic.twitter.com/QdhfjoYsFN

— VOA Urdu (@voaurdu) May 16, 2022

Chaudhry said that during the three-and-a-half-year rule, Khan’s relations with the establishment kept fluctuating on the foreign policy front but issues were resolved, adding that he is ready to play his part in improving relations with the establishment. “While some misunderstandings were created regarding Saudi Arabia and other countries.”

The Speaker Punjab Assembly questioned the present governemnt and said why the government is looking for anonymity, and why it wants someone else’s intervention? “The government must deliver and lower the prices of goods, let Shehbaz Sharif show his mechanics and solve the problem of electricity.”

“I have been with Sharifs for 22 years, and the track record of Sharif’s relationship with us was not good, Sharifs have always cheated us and we have always been with them, so we don’t want to repeat the same mistake,” said Elahi.

When asked if Elahi will take charge as governor after the former governor of Punjab was sacked, he replied that he is still consulting his lawyers and has been advised to wait for the conclusion of the cases pending in courts.

On early polls, Elahi said that Imran Khan wanted an early election for the national assembly constituencies only.

“He wants the provincial assemblies to complete their terms,” Elahi told VOA Urdu, “there is no harm in holding polls for the national assembly now and provincial assemblies later.”