SUKKUR: The PPP on Tuesday said the trend of using religion for achieving political objectives was dangerous for the country and the entire nation knew who was behind the sit-in staged by the TLP at the Faizabad Interchange. Talking to reporters at his residence here, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah criticised the federal government’s handling of the sit-in, saying that instead of tackling the issue politically, the government ordered a crackdown. After the botched crackdown, he added, it seemed the government had transferred all its powers to the DG Punjab Rangers to settle the issue.
He also criticised the government for banning TV news channels and placing curbs on the social media networks. He said Nawaz Sharif wanted to kill democracy. He said Pakistan needed a serious foreign policy review, as it was losing friends.
Rejecting the demand for early election, he said the next general elections should be held as per schedule. He said the country’s future hinged on democracy, adding that if civilian governments had been allowed to function properly, the country would have been in a much better position economically after 20 to 25 years. He claimed there were serious differences between the PML-N senior leaders.
He claimed that the PML-N President Nawaz Sharif did not want to see Chaudhry Nisar in the party anymore, but he did not want to expel him and was hoping that the former interior minister will himself quit. However, he claimed, Nisar did not want to quit the PML-N. Shah rejected the impression that there was a difference between the political views of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Meanwhile, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his party had always damaged democracy. “There is no harm if we respect the army chief and believe in him, but still the military should do what it is supposed to do. Ending the sit-in and negotiating with the protesters was the job of the government and the ministers in which they miserably failed.”
Talking to the reporters, he said the PML-N had weakened parliament and democracy. “Not only they failed in dealing with the protesters, but also they exposed their bad governance,” he added. Kaira pointed out Ahsan Iqbal had claimed the district administration had launched the operation against the protesters on its own and he had no information about the action.
“When the interior minister is not in picture, this shows inefficiency. This damages democracy and its future,” he added. Kaira said the PML-N had no respect for the democratic institutions and had neglected parliament in the last four years. “No doubt, people look to the military to solve their political issues in the presence of such an inefficient government,” he said. -- Agencies
