Ministers attempt to lower political temperature after PM Imran's blistering speech

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed says govt and Opposition should move towards “reconciliation”

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Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry (L) and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed. — PID/File
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry (L) and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed. — PID/File

  • Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed says govt and Opposition should move towards “reconciliation”.
  • Fawad Chaudhry says democracy is not a system of extreme divisions, but based on political consensus.
  • Politics should not be so divisive that it should become difficult to talk with each other, says information minister.


Amid the ongoing war of words between the government and Opposition over the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, the federal ministers Saturday tried to lower the temperature, suggesting for a “dialogue”.

Speaking to journalists in Quetta, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that the government and Opposition should move towards “reconciliation”, adding that everybody should sit together and find a solution.

“The Opposition should show patience and tolerance,” he said, following the uproar that stirred after PM Imran Khan’s hard-hitting speech in Lower Dir on Wednesday.

The interior minister said that the government and PM Imran Khan will complete their five-year tenure as the Opposition will face defeat in the no-confidence motion.

Watch: Can PM cling back to power if no-trust motion is passed?

He further suggested that with only a year left in general elections, the Opposition should prepare for the next elections or else “they would have to wait for 10-years.”

On Friday, addressing a public gathering in Lower Dir at Balambat Ground in Timargara, PM Imran Khan slammed the bigwigs of the Opposition — PPP, PML-N and JUI-F — for challenging the PTI-led government.

After the PM's loaded speech, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif addressed a press conference telling him [Imran Khan] to "keep his fight political.”

Read more: Fazl claims support of over 172 MNAs for o-confidence move

While referring to the Parliament Lodges incident, Rasheed said that if the government wants, they can summon the army; however, things are still in our hands.

Reiterating his stance on holding dialogues, he said: “We need to think about reconciliation as the Opposition will eventually lose.”

In a separate statement, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry too suggested the Opposition hold talks for the sake of democracy in the country.

He said that the ill-planned no-confidence motion of the opposition stirred up bitterness in politics.

"Democracy is not a system of extreme divisions but based on political consensus. It is not difficult to fight, but reconciliation is difficult later."

He said politics should not be so divisive that it should become difficult to talk with each other.