Went to Murree for sake of humanity, not as a minister: Sheikh Rasheed

RAWALPINDI: Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Sunday said that he went to Murree following the tragic incident on the basis of humanity and not because he was a minister. 

The minister was referring to the Muree tragedy in which 23 people lost their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning as they ended up being stranded in their vehicles due to heavy snow.

Speaking to journalists in Rawalpindi during his visit to inspect the under-construction Mother and Child Hospital (M&CH), the minister said that had he not gone to Murree to oversee the situation there, the death toll would have reached 30 to 40 instead of 23.

Rasheed added that since people were not listening to police personal and were trying to enter the hill station by force, the government had to summon the Rangers in Murree.

Had the Rangers not been summoned, 500 more vehicles would have entered Murree and that would have led to a bigger disaster, he said.

“Went I went to Murree, I had ordered the evacuation of more than 700 people who were stuck in their cars,” he claimed.

The minister also shed light on the political milieu of the country and ruled out the chance of an in-house change in the National Assembly as proposed by the Opposition and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would complete the constitutional tenure.

He said that there was no threat to the PTI-led government from the Opposition’s long marches, adding that the government would present a people-friendly budget in the next fiscal year.

Commenting on the Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif’s remarks, Rasheed said that Imran Khan was not a scary dream but a sweet dream for him. The minister said he had never seen a politician like Nawaz Sharif who left the country for personal interests.

“If the Opposition tabled a no-confidence motion against the PM Imran Khan, they would face the same destiny as they experienced in the passing of the finance bill,” Rasheed said and mentioned that the 12 members of the Opposition were absent from the National Assembly during the last session.

“This figure would be 26 if they forwarded a no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan,” he predicted. 

— With input from APP.