Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday said the government has called in 1,000 Rangers and another 1,000 Frontier Corps personnel for ensuring order on the day of the no-trust vote, as the opposition and government hold rallies near parliament to prove their mettle.
“One year is left in the democratic process and they [opposition] are going to fight [with the government],” he said while addressing a press conference in Lahore.
Last week, Rashid in a presser had announced that the government has decided to “hand over” the Parliament House, MNA Lodges, and old MNA House to Rangers and the Frontier Corps on the day the National Assembly is to vote on the no-confidence motion. The decision was taken against the backdrop of an operation in the Parliament Lodges.
Over the past few days, the interior minister has expressed his concerns over the JUI-F's Ansarul Islam -- volunteer force -- and ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities to not allow them to leave the province.
Rashid, who is famous for his political prophecies, claimed that the opposition does not have the required numbers to oust the government and ruling allies were having a good time. He reiterated that coalition partners were with the government, however, stressed that "real friends" support their partners in testing times.
“Your [opposition] protest will fizzle out,” he said and reiterated his call for not leading the country towards anarchy. He was of the view that the opposition’s no-confidence motion has increased Prime Minister Imran Khan’s popularity among the masses.
In a tweet, Planning Minister Asad Umar on Monday said the ruling party, PTI, will hold a public gathering at D-Chowk in Islamabad on March 27, in reaction to the united opposition's rallies as the government prepares for a showdown ahead of the no-confidence motion.
On the PTI’s power show on March 27, Rashid said that some parliamentarians will mull their decision over while also saying that they will be awarded tickets for the next election. He said that the premier could have avoided the no-confidence motion had he started holding public gatherings earlier.
To a query on the apparent role of the establishment, which has also been referred to as the umpire in the political arena, he said: "By the grace of God, the umpire is with Pakistan."
