LAHORE: PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said that the experiment of launching the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), is bound to fail.

Likening the IPP to a patient’s arrival at the hospital after a lethal accident, he remarked that the doctors would check and write “patient received dead.” Exactly like that, the IPP is “launched dead” and it would not make any difference, he said.

However, Mr Qureshi said, all politicians have the right to make their political choices.

“Some of our heavyweight political friends have made their choices, which is welcome. How­ever, the experiment is bound to fail,” he said.

He insisted that the PTI is a federal party with support in all provinces, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.

“Its active supporters exist in every nook and corner of the country and it would be proven in the next general elections, which are sure to come in October. The life of assemblies is going to expire in August and national elections will follow in October if there is any sanctity left for the Constitution. If not, then no one can say anything about them,” he said.

Terming Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar an economic hitman, Mr Qureshi said that Mr Dar has ensured Pakistan’s sovereign default in the budget.

Talking to media outside Anti-Terrorist Court, where he had come to get his pre-arrest bails extended, he said that Pakistan needed $24 billion to meet its international obligations in the upcoming fiscal year, where would this money come from? Mr Dar did not bother to disclose.

Mr Qureshi said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had asked Pakistan to arrange $6bn, which he has been unable to so far. How could $24bn be ensured next year? The IMF has not completed three reviews (10, 11 and 12) of the current programme, which were due by the end of this month. How would he ensure continued cooperation by the IMF?

ATC grants bail

Separately, on Saturday, an anti-terrorism court granted interim pre-arrest bail to Mr Qureshi in three cases relating to May 9 riots.

Mr Qureshi appeared before the court along with his legal team to seek bail in the cases of attacks on Jinnah House, Askari Tower and Shadman police station.

A counsel argued that the petitioner had been implicated in the cases purely on political consideration and with mala fide intention. He said the petitioner wanted to join the investigation of the cases but there were apprehensions of his arrest by the police.

Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar granted the bail to the PTI vice chairman in all the three cases till June 27 subject to furnishing of surety bonds of Rs100,000 each.

The judge also directed Mr Qureshi to join the investigation of the cases before the police.

Later, a sessions court also granted an interim pre-arrest bail to Mr Qureshi in a case of holding an objectionable press conference against the state institutions and obstructing traffic on Canal Road outside Zaman Park.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Nadeem Hassan Waseer allowed the bail to Mr Qureshi till June 27 and summoned the record of the case registered by the police.

Previously, Mr Qureshi had secured the bail in the case on March 10, however, the judge cancelled it for non-prosecution on subsequent hearings.

Imran denies ‘minus one’

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan dismissed reports that Mr Qureshi had come to meet him at his Zaman Park residence with the proposal of a “minus one” formula — a PTI without Mr Khan.

Mr Khan was referring to a meeting between the two leaders held earlier this week following Mr Qureshi’s release from jail after almost a month.

The PTI chief said he didn’t believe in deals and power politics, and for him, “politics is only for a cause and mission”.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2023