Ahsan Iqbal expresses uncertainty over government completing tenure

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said that no one can say for certainty that the government would remain intact till March. 

However, the interior minister said the government is hopeful in completing its term. 

Referring to the ongoing political crisis in Balochistan, Iqbal said the politics of resignations and sit-ins will weaken the country and added the country is passing through circumstances which are a cause for concern.

The interior minister further said that the country's external front is facing difficulties and in such a situation, anarchy in the country and uncertainty can prove detrimental for Pakistan. 

He also said that the enemies of the country are worried over the success being achieved through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The PML-N- led government was shaken recently after the resignation of cabinet members in the Balochistan government. 

Earlier today, a provincial minister and the chief minister’s adviser resigned. 

A total of five PML-N members of the provincial cabinet have resigned so far, plunging the provincial government into a severe crisis.

Moreover, Chief Minister Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri faces a no-confidence motion in the provincial assembly.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday requested the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman to take back his support from the no-confidence motion.

Sources said the premier met the JUI-F leader at his Islamabad residence along with Federal SAFRON Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch.

The JUI-F leader presented his conditions, which include the making of the incumbent political setup in Balochistan, the future provincial interim government, and assurances on the issue of FATA's merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The no-confidence motion against Zehri was submitted on January 2 by lawmakers Syed Agha Raza and Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, containing the signatures of 14 MPAs.

Later, the chief minister’s adviser Prince Ahmad Ali Ahmadzai, Fisheries Minister Mir Sarfraz Domki and Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti submitted their resignations.

Bugti said on Thursday that Balochistan’s political situation should not be compared to the other provinces of the country and added that bringing the no-confidence vote is a democratic right.

Bugti further said he does not have differences with the PML-N but only with Zehri.