Marriyum Aurangzeb laughs off Imran Khan's snap polls prediction

• Minister says election won't be held on mere predictions.
• Aurangzeb alleges Imran offered lifetime extension to ex-COAS.
• "Masses suffer pain of inflation and unemployment even after Imran's ouster."

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb Saturday rubbished Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s prediction regarding early elections.

In conversation with journalists earlier today, the deposed prime minister predicted that he sees elections taking place in either March or April.

Aurangzeb, in a statement, laughed off Imran's predictions and said that the general polls will be held once the coalition government's constitutional term completes.

“The election will not be held on mere predictions, rather it will be held on completion of the constitutional term (of the coalition government),” she said, reacting to PTI chairman's remarks.

The minister, however, questioned Imran if his prediction about the general election was aimed at April 2024.

Responding to the former premier's allegations regarding a deal between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the former chief of army staff General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa, the minister claimed that it was Imran who “wanted to seal a deal by offering a lifetime extension to General Bajwa".

Imran, in the chat with journalists, said that the ex-COAS General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa had "struck" a deal with PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

She said it was the PTI chief who wanted to strike a “deal” with the director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), but it could not materialise. 

Aurangzeb alleged that Imran managed to seal a deal with the former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Javed Iqbal by keeping Tayyaba Gul "captive" in the PM house.

The minister added that the masses continued to suffer the pain of inflation and unemployment even after Imran's ouster, as he pushed the country into an economic quagmire during his four-year "misrule" — marred by corruption, bad governance, and incompetency.

She maintained that the former prime minister has lost the trust of the masses as a historic debt was taken during his government’s tenure, in addition to false promises of giving 10 million jobs and five million houses.

The information minister reasoned that Imran hurt the public's sentiments by compromising on the Kashmir cause and national interests.