Resistance to be offered if democracy put in danger: PPP

Imran asked to fight alone; umpire’s finger will be raised

SUKKUR/MULTAN/KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said on Saturday that it would offer resistance if democracy was put in danger. It said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been asked to fight alone and the finger of the umpire will be raised.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah, talking to media persons in Sukkur, said the PTI’s call to lock down the federal capital on November 2 was illegal. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif does not know how to run the government and Imran Khan doesn’t know how to do politics.

“Any move to shut down a city or any institution is illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.

To a question regarding the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal’s allegations against Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad, the PPP leader stressed that accusations of involvement in the May 12 incident and corruption should be investigated.

Meanwhile, PPP’s central leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, while talking to journalists in Multan, said that it is the attitude of the leaders which is not only raising the political temperature of the country but had also initiated a judicial war among the political parties.

Kaira said their aim was not to topple the government but accountability of the ones enlisted in the PanamaLeaks, and if some family has to suffer due to this, it is the result of their own deeds.

The PPP leader said the opposition parties were united on joint action against the government on the Panama Papers but the PTI took a separate path by not only announcing a protest for the closure of Islamabad on November 2 but also dragged the matter to the Supreme Court.

“Imran has the right to protest but the PPP is not in favour of closing the capital,” he said.

Kaira said that the opposition parties demanded that accountability in the country should be started from the ones enlisted in the PanamaLeaks, as none had denied the fact. He said even the members of the prime minister’s family have accepted the ownership of offshore companies.

“If the opposition parties’ demand is met, we will try to convince Imran Khan to take back the decision of protest and Islamabad’s closure,” he said.

Kaira said the government itself had presented the Panama Bill in the Senate as they thought that the opposition would never unite on the matter of ToRs. He said the prime minister has presented himself for accountability several times, but his team was not on the same page and now everyone had their eyes fixed on the Supreme Court for its decision.

Meanwhile, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Maula Bakhsh Chandio said Imran Khan was relying on hidden hands for his sit-in. He revealed that if any kind of unconstitutional change took place owing to the sit-in, it would not be acceptable.

The adviser also let it be known that the explanations put forward by the prime minister and statements of his ministers reveal that there is something terribly wrong with the government. He lambasted the federal government and said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s speech reveals his confusion.

Chandio pointed out that one was not supposed to address politically to businessmen at the inauguration ceremony of a building.

He revealed that the ministers of PML-N were scared of the protests and sit-ins and the government seemed to be in hot waters over the matter. The PPP leader also lambasted the government ministers for their lack of patience.