ISLAMABAD - Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique Thursday said the sit-in by PTI chief Imran Khan would damage interests of Pakistan and undermine CPEC project.

Addressing a Press conference here, he said that Imran Khan was trying to weaken democracy. The country’s economy had taken off and there was a need to strengthen democracy and keep political stability for further economic progress, he added.

Saad Rafique said Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had made defence of Pakistan strong by carrying out nuclear explosions.

He said there was a history of deep divisions between PPP and PML-N but they had learned not to cross “the red lines in a democracy”.

He blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief for crossing all moral limits and disrespecting State institutions.

The PTI staged a sit-in in 2014, during which it levelled baseless allegations of electoral rigging. Its workers besieged State buildings, and attacked the Parliament House and the Prime Minister House, he recalled.

During that agitation, he said, the PTI violated promises made with the Islamabad administration and entered the Red Zone and violated the sanctity of State buildings.

Saad Rafique said Imran Khan used abusive language against all institutions, including Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Election Commission of Pakistan, Supreme Court and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Imran Khan’s behaviour showed that he wanted absolute powers by becoming Prime Minister, Chief Justice and Armed Forces chief at the same time.

Saad said it was responsibility of the government to protect the rights of five million residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Nobody should be mistaken about the government’s commitment to protect life and property of the people, he added. He said that Imran refused to accept the latest decision of Islamabad High Court which restrained the PTI from locking down the Federal capital. He had made fun of the court decision, he alleged.

He said the capital was not an enemy’s territory that the PTI wanted to besiege. The Constitution and laws of Pakistan did not allow anybody to usurp the fundamental rights of citizens, he added. Saad said that the government was ready to hold dialogue on formation of a commission for inquiry into the Panama Leaks.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not want to take burden of the Panama issue into the next election as the Prime Minister had welcomed hearing of the case in that regard by the Supreme Court, he stated.

Regardless of how much Imran Khan raised hue and cry and how much he lied, change in Pakistan would come through vote, he remarked. Saad said that Imran should refrain from creating chaos in the country. He and and his associates would be held accountable for their misdeeds, he added.

Saad Rafique reminded that Imran Khan removed chief of Accountability Commission Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when he unearthed corruption of PTI officials. The Anti-Corruption Department of KP was also made dysfunctional after the scam of “billion trees plantation” project surfaced, he added.

He said that after the attack on lawyers, police cadets were ambushed and martyred in Quetta which was very tragic. He said the government would continue its efforts to eradicate terrorism and ensure a brighter future for the next generation. Talking about the performance of Pakistan Railways, he said its revenue was increased from Rs 18 billion to Rs 36 billion, freight delivery rose by six times and the number of passengers also grew.

He said that with the assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB),rail tracks would be upgraded. Some other projects would also be completed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry assured the businessmen community and citizens of Islamabad that the government would ensure that the capital remained open and everybody exercised his right of free movement.