Neither will PML-N submit resignations, nor will Nawaz return: Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed

• Sheikh Rasheed said PML-N will not submit resignations
• 'Only two resignations from PML-N members made the party worried'
• 'Nawaz Sharif will likely not return to Pakistan'

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Tuesday said that neither will the PML-N resign from the national and provincial assemblies nor will Nawaz Sharif return to Pakistan.

In an informal conversation with the media about the Senate elections and the Opposition's participation in the polls, Sheikh Rasheed said that if the PPP decides to participate, then it would be natural for PML-N to do so as well.

"If the PPP partakes in the Senate elections, then PML-N will be pressurised to take part in the elections too," he said. "The matter of resignations has been sidelined and these parties will even take part in by-polls."

Taking a jibe at PML-N, the interior minister said that neither will Nawaz Sharif return to Pakistan nor will any of their party members submit their resignations from the national or provincial assemblies as they have claimed. 

"Only two resignations were submitted by PML-N members and that made them worried," Sheikh Rasheed said, adding that every party needs some kind of support to retract their tall claims but the PML-N does not have any. 

Read more: 15 ministries in 35 years: A look at Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed's political career

The interior minister praised PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for his political tactics but added that PM Imran Khan was doing better than him.

'PDM on the decline'

Speaking about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Sheikh Rasheed said that the movement is on the decline with each passing day.

Rasheed said that the PDM has been adamant to send the PTI-led government packing, but their mission will never be successful. 

"Imran Khan will not go home. It is the PDM which will have to go home," he said. 

'Govt will take action against those who malign armed forces'

Shedding light on yesterday's meeting of the cabinet ministers and other senior PTI members with PM Imran Khan, he said that the government has decided to track down all those who malign the armed forces on social media and otherwise. 

"Anyone found badmouthing the armed forces will be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution and the law of Pakistan," he said.

Read more: Govt to track down those who malign state institutions on social media: PM Imran Khan