• PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif says if politicians get involved in “treason and patriotism” then matter will get out of hand.
• Shahbaz says PM Imran instead of admitting defeat is busy dividing the nation. 
• PML-N leader hopes police and Islamabad administration will maintain law and order in view of SC orders.

ISLAMABAD: Hitting out at PM Imran Khan over his televised question and answer session with the nation, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif said that a “treason case” should be first registered against the premier.

“Treason case should be first registered against Imran Khan by not ending his [2014] sit-in Imran Khan harmed the nation’s pride,” said Shahbaz Sharif in a press conference immediately after PM’s address.

The PML-N president said that if politicians get involved in “treason and patriotism” then the matter will get out of hand. He added that if PM Imran Khan goes against the constitution and the law, then they will take their course.

Shahbaz’s statement on treason comes as PM Imran alleges that the no-confidence motion moved against him is a “foreign conspiracy”

“Imran Khan, instead of admitting defeat, is busy dividing the nation. He is refusing to follow the constitutional and legal path,” said Shahbaz. He claimed that the premier was directly taking on the Constitution

“He is inciting his supporters to sabotage the decision that will be taken in Parliament tomorrow,” said Shahbaz on PM Imran’s call for protests tomorrow ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion.

The Opposition leader said that MNAs have the right to enter Parliament, adding that incitement to violence will be accounted for after being defeated in the no-confidence motion.

“I am hoping that the police and the administration will maintain law and order in view of the Supreme Court orders,” said Shahbaz.

Shahbaz defends “beggars cannot be choosers” comments

The Opposition leader also spoke about his “beggars cannot be choosers” comment on Pakistan. Shahbaz said that it was “not the first time” that he had made such a comment.

“We have been taking loans one after another and will have to break the shackles but breaking the shackles will not be easy,” said the PML-N president.

“I don’t care about Imran Khan’s nonsense. Nation’s independence doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t economically empowered,” said Shahbaz. He added that “freedom” is not possible without self-reliance.

The Opposition leader said that, so far, Pakistan has not become “economically independent”. He gave the examples of Germany and Japan saying that they were defeated in World War 2, but they reached their peak by working hard.