State institutions cannot remain neutral for too long: Sheikh Rasheed

• Rasheed says PM Khan is “mentally and politically ready” for any sort of outcome.
• Terms the ongoing situation "alarming and disturbing".
• "Fresh elections are the need of the hour,” he reiterates.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Saturday said that he is seeing political incidents in the county while the institutions are neutral; however, they cannot remain “neutral” for too long.

Speaking to Geo News, Rasheed said the ongoing situation is “alarming and disturbing”, adding that outcome of this "war" cannot be predicted.

 “All those who have turned a blind eye towards the situation should open their eyes as this fight is about to come to an end and the outcome could be anything,” he maintained.

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The interior minister further added that Prime Minister Imran Khan is “mentally and politically ready” for all sorts of outcomes; however, the decision to hold voting is the lookout of the National Assembly speaker and other legal experts.

Rasheed lamented that people are speaking ill about the institutions of Pakistan, adding that the political temperature in the country is very high at the moment.

Reiterating his stance to hold early elections, he said fresh elections are the “need of the hour” and the Opposition should also move toward transparent elections as this is the “ultimate solution”.

The interior minister further mentioned that PML-N leaders Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz were to be indicted in their ongoing proceeding in the Islamabad High Court; however, the former is gearing to become the prime minister of the country while the latter is eyeing the chief minister’s position in Punjab.

“If two candidates who are to be indicted become the PM and CM then, as a nation, we can only wait and see what happens” he maintained.

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Regarding institutions' “neutral” stance in the country's political affairs, Rasheed said that institutions are neutral but they cannot remain neutral for long.

“The ongoing situation questions the integrity of Pakistan and the institutions and while institutes are neutral and they should remain neutral but nothing is above the integrity of the country,” he said.