January 31, 2021
MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the appropriate time for Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to submit resignations from the parliament is 2023, The News reported on Sunday.
Speaking to the media, he said that the deadline provided by the PDM for Prime Minister Imran Khan's resignation was today [January 31], however, given the circumstances, the anti-government alliance had failed to force the premier to resign from his office.
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FM Qureshi said the Opposition alliance had earlier said its members would tender resignations from assemblies if Prime Minister Imran Khan did not leave his office till January 31, 2021.
“Now they have started saying that they will resign from assemblies at an appropriate time,” he said, while sarcastically commenting that "it seems that the appropriate time is the year 2023."
Stressing that the country cannot progress unless corruption was brought under control, the PTI minister said that his government would cooperate with every institution in rooting it out.
"The government's top priority was economic prosperity in the country," he added.
Touching upon the upcoming senate elections, FM Qureshi said that the PPP would not have the majority to get former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani elected as a senator from Punjab.
“If Yusuf Raza Gilani is elected from Punjab, that means there will be horse-trading in the province,” he added.
Criticising the BJP for its policies, Qureshi said the peasant movement had gained momentum in India. The farmers in all provinces of India were increasingly participating in the mass protests. They are dissatisfied with the BJP government's policies, he added.
The foreign minister said Kashmiris celebrated the Republic Day of India as a black day and farmers had also protested against the injustice they are facing.
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The Delhi government did not seem to be successful in negotiating with farmers. Pakistan is exposing Indian heinous acts and violence through diplomatic channels, he added.
He maintained that India was directly involved in terrorism in Pakistan and the government was fully aware of the kind of operations it was carrying out inside Pakistan.
The real face of India would be exposed in the coming days, he added. India propagated to defame Pakistan through fake websites. Pakistan had raised the Kashmir issue in the world very effectively, he added.