Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said all cabinet members must stick to decisions taken by the cabinet after thorough discussion or resign if they do not agree with the verdict, but that they “cannot do opposition while sitting in the cabinet”.
The premier expressed these views in an interview with a private TV channel, broadcast on Friday, while talking about the resignation of his aide Nadeem Afzal Chan. Commenting on his resignation during the interview, the premier said, “Nadeem resigned; he must have his own reasons for it.”
When asked whether he had resigned because Imran had indirectly censured him for publically criticising the government handling of the Hazara sit-in, the prime minister said, “I don’t know.”
Prime Minister Imran denied Chan’s reported statement that he was asked to resign, saying he “did not ask anyone to resign”. He said the cabinet functioned on the principle of “collective responsibility”, meaning all members of the cabinet owned the decision taken by it after debate. He said his cabinet discussed every issue in detail on merit. “But when the cabinet takes a decision, if you have to go against it, you must first resign,” he added. “You cannot do opposition while sitting in the cabinet,” he emphasised. He also expressed annoyance at the fact that news of Chan’s resignation ‘made it to the newspapers’ before the resignation reached him.
Meanwhile, speaking in Lahore, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the police needs improvement and that ‘political hirings’ in the past adversely impacted people across country. Chairing a meeting on reforms and performance of the Punjab Police here, the prime minister stressed the use of modern technology to control crimes. He emphasized on resolving the problems of citizens on merit and taking strict action against officials creating hurdles in the way to justice. He regretted that political appointments were made in the police during the previous regimes, which adversely impacted the performance of the department.
He said no one was above the law and asked the police personnel to not to succumb to any political influence or pressure. He said the treatment of police on the basis of equality and law would lead to satisfaction of citizens and asked the IGP Punjab to focus on improving the image of his department.
The prime minister said appointing honest officials at important positions had its impact from top to the grassroots level, and called for postings and transfers on the basis of merit only to ensure dispensation of justice. He said nabbing big criminals gave a warning to little offenders to refrain from indulging in crimes.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar met in Lahore and discussed overall situation of the province. The meeting focused on pace of development projects in Punjab.
