On April 9, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a multi-party ruling alliance, completed its one-year term in government, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the former ruling party, issued a ‘white paper’ criticizing the incumbent government’s “one-year dark period.” The PTI, whose government was toppled on April 9 last year through a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly, highlighted the incumbent government’s poor governance, rising inflation, and other issues in the 51-page white paper, which has been divided into six sections. The document includes details of human rights violations by the current government, statistics related to economic destruction and inflation, police and Rangers’ operation at PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park, cases against the former prime minister and other supporters of the party, and detentions. It also covers amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws and postponement of elections.
Earlier today, Imran Khan, in a video address marking one year since his ouster, threatened to take to the streets if the elections are not held in the country, stating that there is no other way except the elections. The Supreme Court (SC) on April 4 declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision on the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) elections null and void, ordering snap polls. The government, however, is reluctant to comply with the verdict. On April 6, the National Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the three-member SC bench’s “minority” verdict on the Punjab elections and made it binding on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet not to implement the decision.
Referring to the ongoing police crackdown against his party leadership, Khan said that the incumbent government would not keep them silent if “everyone is put in jails and our hands are tied.” The deposed premier further said that as many as 144 FIRs, including sedition cases, have been registered against him.
The PTI’s white paper, to be released by Imran Khan, will identify a problem and offer a solution in a convincing, in-depth report on a particular subject. The weak leadership of the ruling parties, the tyranny of the government, and other issues will be highlighted in the white paper. Imran Khan was dismissed from his post as Pakistan’s prime minister on April 9 of last year after the opposition parties were successful in their motion of no-confidence. The current coalition government’s newly elected cabinet took an oath on April 19, 2022.
Earlier, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry stated that the fascist government’s days are numbered. Fawad on his Twitter account compared the first year of the PDM coalition government to a long, dark night that was foisted on the public to blacken Pakistan’s promising future.
