ISLAMABAD: A vocal PPP MNA from Quetta Syed Nasir Ali Shah, who on Friday skipped the National Assembly’s special session, which saw Raja Pervaiz Ashraf become Prime Minister, says the sin of voting for Yusuf Raza Gilani in 2008 would haunt him as long as he is alive.
“Obviously, I never knew a party, which had suffered the martyrdom of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will forget her philosophy of affordable provision of roti, kapra or makan to people. That was why he voted for Gilani and what he did in over four years is before 180 million people,” he retorted during chat with The News here the other day.
He made it clear that it was not at all exaggeration that he would continue to repent having cast his vote for Gilani and this very feeling barred him for repeating the same sin, when PPP and its allies voted for Raja Pervaiz.Naisr Shah is the only MNA among 124 PPP legislators, who claims to have reacted to the voice of his conscience by not attending the special assembly session.
“I can say with conviction that there are some others also who are fed up with PPP’s disastrous policies of confrontation with state institutions, but for one reason or other, just can’t defy its line,” he maintained.
When reminded that by not attending the NA session and by not casting his vote for his party’s candidate, he had violated the party policy that could cost him his seat as MNA, he showed no concern at all and said he was ready for any consequence thereof.
Nasir Shah, known for his straight discourse on the floor of the National Assembly and in media talk shows, hitting the government for its policies hard, has one of his young sons, father of two, on a wheel chair, following a suicide attack on him, that paralysed the lower part of his body. Nasir had escaped the bid despite being the real target of assailants.
He insists though during the last four years, his Hazara community suffered unprecedented wave of target-killing that has claimed hundreds of innocent lives, he is more concerned about the whole nation at the mercy of corrupt and stone-hearted rulers.
The PPP MNA cautioned the masses that they must be ready for the worst in the weeks and months to come, as Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz would have to act on the wishes of someone sitting in the President House instead of what was required of him.