Islamabad (National Times) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Asif has fired a broadside at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying after former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, the opposition party is begging “someone else” for relief now.

Addressing on the floor of the National Assembly, the defence minister cited Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Aun Chaudhry as saying he hid PTI founder Imran Khan in car’s trunk to take him to General (retd) Amjad Awan’s house.

At the former general’s home, Asif claimed that according to the IPP leader the jailed PTI founder except holding former army chief General (retd) Bajwa’s feet made every kind of desperate request to seek relief.

“After Bajwa sahib, they [PTI] are now trying to hold the feet of someone else. Hardly anyone has ‘licked’ as many shoes as the PTI founder,” the federal minister remarked.
His hard-hitting statement comes in response to PTI Secretary-General Omar Ayub Khan’s address in the lower house of parliament wherein he slammed the federal government for presenting a budget against the interests of the nation and the country.

“This budget was made by an economic hitman,” said Ayub, who is also the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly.

Taking a jibe at Ayub, Asif said his speech reminded him of his 20-year-old statements wherein he would praise PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif in the same way he was hailing PTI founder Imran Khan.

The defence minister said that the PML-N would welcome the PTI if it apologised for the May 9 events referred to the violent protests that broke out in many parts of the country in reaction to the arrest of former PM Imran Khan last year.

The PML-N stalwart also slammed the opposition party for writing a letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), asking the global lender to link funding to the audit of alleged rigging in the elections.

After being ousted from power, the PTI wanted the country to go default, he added.