Corruption product of dictatorships: Khursheed

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Thursday said that corruption and terrorism were a cancer for the country, which were conceived during the dictatorships.
“It was dictatorship which corrupted politics and now those who never indulged in corruption are also being defamed in the name of corruption,” the opposition leader said while talking to media persons here at his chamber in the Parliament House.
He said that almost everything, including the Constitution and nuclear capability, had been given to the country by the politicians while two of PPP leaders sacrificed their lives for the country.
To a question, he said that the court martial of former dictator Pervez Musharraf could be possible if a transparent investigation was conducted into the Kargil incident.
To another question regarding the display of pictures and banners in the praise of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, the opposition leader said that no one should have any objection to the popularity of General Raheel.
Khursheed Shah rejected the farmers package announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and dubbed it as a pack of lies as it had nothing for the farmers. He said if the government was sincere, then it should have announced the support prices of cash crops.
The opposition leader said the package would hurt the ruling party in the upcoming polls. “Most of the points presented in the prime minister’s Rs341 billion relief package for farmers were part of the budget speech,” he pointed out.
The opposition leader said the PPP was supporting democracy and not Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and added that it would continue to do so in the future also. “Nawaz Sharif’s shortcomings will help other political parties in the next general elections,” he added.
Dismissing reports of a party meeting in Dubai, Khursheed Shah said that he was seeking time for a meeting with the PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in which, all the matters pertaining to the political situation and the party would be discussed in detail.
On the resignations of the MQM lawmakers from the Senate, National Assembly and provincial assembly of Sindh, the opposition leader said Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani would issue a ruling on the matter today (Friday).