Sindh House 'centre of horse-trading': Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry

• Fawad says a major action is being planned against "horse-trading" in Sindh House
• Says "way markets are being set up is against Constitution."
• Cites reports of huge sums of money being shifted to Sindh House.

ISLAMABAD: As the PTI-led government make efforts to thwart the Opposition's no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that a "major action" is being planned against horse-trading in the Sindh House.

The allegation was levelled by the information minister during a press conference in Islamabad.

"Sindh House, Islamabad, is currently the centre of horse-trading," Fawad said while accusing the Opposition of buying votes of MNAs.

"Markets are being set up is against the Constitution."

He said that there were reports of huge sums of money being shifted to the Sindh House, adding that the PPP has deputed police outside it to accommodate people there.

Read more: Govt orders strict monitoring of MNAs ahead of vote on no-trust

When asked if the government plans to launch a raid on the Sindh House, Fawad said he doesn't know about a raid but there would be "strict action."

Responding to a question if the government was looking for "12 men", the minister said:

"What [do you mean by] 'looking for', we know [these] 12 men."

Govt must not provoke us: Bilawal

Following Fawad’s statement, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned the government not to provoke the Opposition, adding that they do not want “anarchy in Islamabad” amid to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) session, which is set to take place in Islamabad from March 22 to March 23.

“MNAs have been threatened with violence, arrest, and dire consequences if they take part in the no-confidence process. Their lives, liberty, and family are under threat. MNAs will take any and all means for their own protection against this fascist regime,” tweeted Bilawal.

The PPP chairman assured the lawmakers that his party and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will do all that it can to protect them.

“We will not show all our cards now. A few friends will respond to Imran Khan’s accusations. More to come in the coming days. Out of respect to the OIC conference, we don’t want anarchy in Islamabad. The government must not provoke us,” said Bilawal. 

PPP says govt planning to attack Sindh House

The PPP leadership has claimed that after the police raided the Parliament Lodges last week, the government is planning to ambush the Sindh House in Islamabad, saying that if anyone is hurt, PM Imran Khan’s regime will be responsible for it, Geo News reported Wednesday.

Last week, the Islamabad Police had conducted an operation inside the Parliament Lodges and had arrested two JUI MNAs and several workers. However, the police later released them as JUI-F announced a country-wide protest.

In a joint statement released by PPP MNAs, including Abdul Qadir Patel, Agha Rafi, Javed Shah Jillani and others, it was stated that after the Islamabad police's "barbaric attack" on the Parliament Lodges, the MNAs had requested the Sindh government to accommodate them in the Sindh House, citing security reasons.

“The lives of MNAs, including women members, are not safe as the PTI-led government is hell-bent on terrorism, therefore, we [MNAs] had requested the Sindh government to provide the Sindh police security, the statement said.

The PPP MNAs further stated that they had information that Imran Khan’s goons of ‘Tiger Force’ were planning to attack the Sindh House.

“Therefore, if any PPP MNA or personal property is hurt, Imran Khan’s government will be responsible for this," it said.

On the other hand, PPP’s Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar refuted PM’s statement about the Sindh House and said the PM is used to levelling allegations against his rivals.

He was speaking during Geo News' programme "Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada ke Saath". The PPP senator said that no one is hidden there. "Only our lawmakers are in Sindh House at Islamabad," he said.

“It's not the first time the PM levelled allegations as he has a long history of doing such things, however, it’s our right to take steps for the security of our parliamentarians."