‘Minister threatened martial law night before no-trust vote’

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto says threat was an attempt to foil motion against Imran Khan

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto on Thursday claimed that a night before the National Assembly passed the no-confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan, one of his ministers had threatened him to either accept early elections or face martial law.

“I would like to share with this house that the night before the noconfidence motion [was passed], I was sent a message, a threat that either we accept early elections or face martial law,” he said on the floor of the lower house of parliament, adding that this threat was conveyed to him by a government minister via a colleague, Dawn News said in a report.

Bilawal went on to say that the threat was an attempt to foil the no-confidence motion against the former prime minister which, despite the provocations of Khan’s party PTI, was successful within the parameters of the law and the constitution.

He went on to say that Khan and the PTI were still adopting the same strategy where they were trying to create political instability and making irresponsible attacks so that one of two things could happen: Early elections without the necessary reforms or that an undemocratic step is taken.

“We should all make efforts to foil this conspiracy. We will all have to come together and work hard to foil this conspiracy and save the country.”

Bilawal said his party believed in first completing the muchneeded electoral reforms before announcing the schedule for next general elections.

“First reforms then elections.

We are not the non-democratic forces that believe in political engineering and holding accountability prior to polls,” he said.

The PPP chairman said political parties in parliament were true democratic forces and wanted free and fair elections.

He stated that electoral reforms were a two-step process, where first the “undemocratic” bills and ordinances passed during the PTI government’s tenure needed to be repealed before passing any new legislation.

Bilawal Bhutto warned that the next elections could be bloody if political parties failed to reach a consensus on a basic code of conduct for polls in light of the increasing polarisation and divide in the county. He said that no one was ready to follow the rules of the game. “What would be left if there will be no trust in democracy and democratic processes,” he asked. — agencies

Imran Khan and his PTI party are trying to create political instability and making irresponsible attacks so that one of two things could happen: Early elections without the necessary reforms or that an undemocratic step is taken.”

Bilawal Bhutto

Foreign Minister