ISLAMABAD. President Dr Arif Alvi Friday accepted the resignations of three federal ministers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The ministers who had resigned from their respective offices included Federal Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem, Science and Technology Minister Aminul Haq and Housing Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema.

The president accepted the said resignations on the prime minister’s advice under clause (3) or Article 92 of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the president also assigned an additional portfolio of Law Minister to Federal Minister Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain who would replace Farogh Naseem.

Fawad moves court against Shehbaz

With the additional portfolio of law, Fawad announced his decision to file a petition in the court for the cancellation of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s bail in a corruption case.

Both Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz, who were on bail in the corruption cases, were looking for the slots of prime minister and Punjab chief minister, he said while talking to reporters.

“I was just told that the law ministry’s charge is being given to me… I, at once, will ask for filing petitions for the cancellation of bail of both Shehbaz and Hamza,” he added.

Flanked with Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, he said the government would ask the court to start proceedings for the cancellation of their bails.

He claimed that PM Imran Khan would complete the constitutional term. “The nation would not let any foreign power to change regime in the country.”

The minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership had taken strict notice of its dissident members of National Assembly’s meeting with the opposition parties. “The legal team has finalised its action plan regarding the dissident MNAs,” he said, “It will plead before the apex court that the matter of no-trust motion should be looked into as being a part of an international conspiracy.”

He added that it was beyond one’s understanding as to how the conscience of 22 PTI MNAs “awakened all of a sudden.” The minister added that some members of the allied parties of government were invited to attend the special meeting of federal cabinet where the content of the “threat letter” was shared, but they refused.

Likewise, he said, Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif was also asked to attend a meeting so that he, himself, could see the evidences of the foreign plot, but he also refused. “He [Shehbaz] did not come to the meeting as he already knew the conspiracy.”

The minister accused the leaders of main opposition parties of being part of the international conspiracy against the democratically elected government.

Referring to the three PML-N leaders who held a press conference over the prime minister’s address to the nation the other day, he said they had “no right” to talk about the foreign policy.

One of the PML-N leaders, Khawaja Asif, held “Iqamas” of other countries while being a cabinet member in the Nawaz Sharif-led government, he recalled.

Fawad paid tribute to the people who held protests against the sell-outs. “Those who have taken part in those protest are our heroes,” he added.

Energy Minister Hammad Azhar claimed that some foreign powers were trying to install a puppet government in Pakistan to achieve their nefarious designs.

He also highlighted the economic achievements made by the PTI government during last three and a half years, saying the country was moving on the road of progress and development.

The incumbent government had achieved economic growth rate of 5.5%, he added.

Due to the policies of PTI government, the minister said that all the international agencies had upgraded Pakistan’s ranking. “Record loans, taken by the previous regimes, have been paid by our government,” he added.

He also criticised the agreements signed by the PML-N government with the independent power producers and said the PTI government had re-negotiated them for the benefit of the country.

He expressed the hope that Pakistan would exit from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force as it had already met all the conditions.

“We have met 32 conditions out of 34,” Azhar said.