‘Opposition parties to be taken along if PPP launches movement’

PanamLeaks issue

Khursheed says he doesn’t know on whose direction Imran parted ways

PESHAWAR: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Wednesday said if Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) launched a movement against the prime minister over the PanamaLeaks, it would take along all the opposition parties.

He said he did not know on whose direction the PTI chief Imran Khan had parted ways with the other opposition parties and prefered a solo flight on the issue of anti-government movement.

He said the volume of foreign loans taken by the federal government during its tenure had swelled to Rs74 billion but it would still fail to secure the country’s future through loans.

He was talking to the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif proved that he had nothing else for his support," the opposition leader remarked.

He said that the PPP had brought all the political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Awami National Party, on one page to collectively play a role in the Panama Papers case, but PTI all of a sudden parted ways and preferred a solo flight.

He reminded that the PTI abandoned rest of the political parties and announced to lockdown Islamabad and after failing to do so it moved the court.

The PPP leader said his party believed in parliamentary politics as in the courts the cases were usually heard for a long time. He added that Parliament was a suitable platform for such matters.

He said that the court decision would have an impact on the future of PTI's politics. "I don't know who asked the PTI to part ways with the opposition parties over the PanamaLeaks case," he added.

About the country's foreign policy, the opposition leader said Pakistan was facing isolation as the rulers were unable to have cordial ties with neighbouring states.

He said that the relations with Afghanistan had never strained to this extent in the past as the space meant for Pakistan was filled by India in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan had no foreign minister to look after different issues of international importance.

Khursheed Shah said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had no time to think about the country's future and for reviewing the foreign policy as he was usually found in his favourite place, London.

Appreciating Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, the opposition leader said he had played his role in rooting out terrorism.