PML-N’s alliance drive reminds Khuhro of IJI formation

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that the fresh efforts of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to forge an anti-PPP alliance is similar to the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) forming before 1990 to oppose Benazir Bhutto.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peoples Secretariat on Wednesday, the PPP Sindh president said efforts are afoot to form an IJI-like alliance in Sindh again by gathering politicians from different parties to negate the people’s right to choose their rulers in the upcoming elections.

Khuhro claimed that the PML-N is no longer a popular political party in Punjab. “The incident of pelting stones at Shehbaz Sharif’s vehicle in Lahore shows that the people of Punjab do not want to cast their votes in favour of Nawaz Sharif.”

He said the PML-N’s latest move to form alliances with different political parties is an attempt at face-saving after Nawaz Sharif sensed that the people of Punjab did not give him a warm reception.

It seems that some outside influence is at work in Balochistan, where politicians from different political parties were forced to join the PML-N, he added. “Nawaz Sharif will be called a selected ruler, just like Imran Khan, if he rose to power again based on an IJI-like alliance.”

He recalled that PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari during his tenure as the president of Pakistan had economically strengthened Balochistan by increasing its share in the National Finance Commission Award. “Nawaz Sharif is wrong to assume that the process of strengthening Balochistan stopped after he was removed from power.”

Khuhro said Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK was present at the airport to see off Nawaz Sharif on his return to the country from London, showing that the PML-N is being given an undue favourable consideration by the powers that be.

“An alliance is being formed to launch the PML-N for forming the next government, much like the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the PML-Quaid were launched in the past.” He demanded that the upcoming general elections be held in a free and fair manner, without any undue interference, that too after giving a level playing field to every political party.

Replying to a question, he said that political parties that are issuing statements against the 18th constitutional amendment earlier supported the move to pass the amendment. He also said Nawaz Sharif had ignored development projects in Sindh during his previous government.