Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Monday said the government had not yet decided to establish the ‘Reception Camps’ for the so-called long march of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an 11-party alliance against the democratically elected government.
“We will decide about this after the date is announced by the PDM [for long march. We have not held any meeting yet to decide that when and where the ‘Reception Camps’ have to be set up,” he said while talking to media persons after chairing a meeting here at the Chief Commissioner Office.
However, he said, unnecessarily police pickets had recently been removed from different areas of the capital, adding that at the same sites police vehicles would be stationed for maximum facilitation to the commuters and citizens.
Sheikh Rashid said co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party Asif Ali Zardari had talked about filling the jails on Sunday’s rally, but he spent most of his sentenced time in hospitals instead of prison.
The minister said Zardari had done his Ph.D in criminology; and he knew the hardship faced in jails and avoid it through different tactics.
He said opposition parties just wanted clearance in their NAB cases, expressing confidence that they would not only participate in the upcoming Senate elections, but also review the decision of tendering resignations of their parliamentarians.
Commenting on a question about confirmation of resignation by PML-N’s MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi, the minister was of the view that Murtaza would deny about sending his resignation to the Speaker National Assembly.
Sheikh Rashid said as per law only the handwritten resignations duly signed by the members and having required details, were considered for further necessary action, adding that all ‘typed or computerized’ resignations had not legal status.
Replying to a question, the Interior Minister said all religious seminaries working in the federal capital were imparting the education to students in a true spirit without any involvement in extra-curriculum activities. He said the PML-N leadership had been serving dictator Zia-ul-Haq for personal gains.
Sheikh Rashid said Pakistan’s Armed Forces had never indulged in politics, neither it was nor to be, adding “It was, is and will remain with democracy.”
He said no media could beat Pakistan’s electronic media because they were more responsible and effectively creating awareness among the public about all necessary measures to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus.
