LAHORE: President Dr Arif Alvi Thursday said talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be successful and the country would not default.
Talking to media, Alvi said the government was asked to hold talks with the opposition but no response has so far been received. “There was complete silence on the part of the government about talks with the opposition,” he added.
The president maintained the ‘minus Imran’ formula cannot be successful and there will be severe public reaction over the arrest of Imran Khan or the ‘formula’.
Alvi said: “the arrest will be tantamount to setting a fire, as arresting the former PM or any senior politician would lead to resistance.” He said the ongoing situation would worsen with Imran’s arrest, and the move should be avoided because the severe public backlash would follow.
To another query, he said Imran Khan has apprehensions that the government is not serious about holding elections, however, both the government and the opposition should sit together for general elections. If Imran did not want one-on-one talks, the second or third tier could hold negotiations, he said.
Imran Khan balks at ‘minus-one’ formula
Regarding the arrest of Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Alvi said he feels embarrassed with the treatment meted out to Fawad after his arrest.
When asked about the caretaker Punjab Chief Minister, he said that a constitutional way was adopted in this election. “Through the constitutional way, it cannot be judged that the CM remains impartial or partial,” he added.
Regarding the possibility of a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Alvi said that he did not believe that the current premier would lose a vote of confidence in the National Assembly.
To another query, he said he held talks with Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar but not the Prime Minister and was convinced that Pakistan would not default.
The President also stated that he had no contact with the establishment and that the army had said it did not want to interfere in politics.
Earlier, while addressing the 12th convocation ceremony of Virtual University in Lahore, the president called for adopting modern trends of the global community for the development of the country.
“Education and training have more impact on character building as compared to knowledge,” the president said, adding: “No country can make progress without education.” He said 20 million children are still out of school in the country. Dr Arif Alvi said the promotion of education and the provision of health facilities are necessary for a better future.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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