Prime Minister Refuses to Grant NRO to the Opposition

Once again, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has made it clear that he will not grant an NRO deal to the opposition parties. In his opinion, it will be equal to committing treason against Pakistan. 

In a recent interview, the premier stated that the 11-party opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is staging protests and rallies across the country against the PTI government. He believes that the only agenda of the PDM is to ensure that they are provided relief in various corruption cases. 

Khan further talked about the 11-part alliance and called them a ‘union of crooks’. He explained that the opposition is deluded if they believe that holding rallies will pressurize the Prime Minister into making decisions in favor of the opposition. 

He asserted that even if he left the premiership of the country, he would not allow any compromise on the corruption cases filed against the opposition. 

The premier also commented on the upcoming rally in Lahore, organized by the PDM. He informed that his government will not permit the opposition parties to hold large scale gatherings. Khan cited the rising deaths attributed to the coronavirus and the increasing number of positive cases. He assured that strict legal action will be taken against those who do not abide by the orders of the court. 

On the other hand, the PDM has announced that it will not deviate from its schedule, which states that a rally is held in Lahore on the 13th of December. They added that they will resist any attempts made by the incumbent government if the latter decided to interfere with their power show. 

Rana Sanaullah, the President of the Punjab chapter of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), revealed that the PDM will go ahead with its scheduled rally at the Greater Iqbal Park. He went on to add that nothing will stand in the way of their power show. 

However, the premier made it clear that the government will not use forceful means to put an end to the rally. Instead, they will create hurdles for the opposition to prevent them from becoming ‘revolutionary’. 

Khan also said that he is ready to sit down and have discussions with rival parties on several matters, such as the coronavirus crisis, economy, and others. But, he stated that whenever he shows up to parliament, the opposition refuses to let the premier speak and ask only for relief in corruption cases. 

While on this topic, the Prime Minister gave an example of the British Parliament. He informed that the lawmakers in the UK have debates and discussions on various public issues. However, according to him, the parliament in Pakistan does not function smoothly because the lawmakers of the opposition are only focused on receiving an NRO. 

The premier added that legislation and laws alone cannot get rid of the corruption that runs rampant in our society. He urged all stakeholders, as well as media, to play their role for the purpose of making Pakistan a healthy and corruption-free society.