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All responsible as parliament passed electoral bill: Aitzaz

By News Desk
November 30, 2017

KARACHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan has said the PML-N has nearly lost its authority in the Centre, while its Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has no individual standing in the party.

Speaking in the Geo News programme Capital Talk on Wednesday, he referred to the Faizabad sit-in and said the government should have brought the issue to parliament. Decisions regarding dispersing protesters were not taken at the PM House or Jati Umra. The decisions were rather taken at the GHQ, he said and alleged that after talks were held, an army officer was seen distributing envelopes among the protesters — a scene which could not have been imagined in Pakistan.

Aitzaz said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif claimed to have resolved the issue, though his province was where the issue originated from. He said the protesters came to the federal capital after holding talks with the Punjab government. He said the PPP was clear on the issue throughout the sit-in. "We were of the view that the entire matter should be discussed in parliament."

Regarding Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi using Article 245 of the Constitution, he said it was the right of the federal government that it used. But, he added, the army had its He said that as per Article 245, the armed forces, under directions of the federal government, would defend Pakistan against threats and act in aid of civil power when called upon to do so.

He said the operation to disperse the protesters at Faizabad was launched without the ownership of the political leadership. The executive was not given time to execute its responsibilities. However, he was of the view that certain political and religious parties politicised the issue regarding the law, which led to the Faizabad protest.

The senator said the sit-in leadership was claiming that the army chief resolved the issue. He said Nawaz Sharif was totally ignorant and was just questioning the interior minister. He said Ahsan Iqbal could have signed an agreement with the Tehreek Labbaik leadership on the directions of Nawaz Sharif. He said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had no powers in the PML-N setup as he still considered Nawaz the prime minister. He said Captain (retd) Safdar had alleged that the envelopes given to the protesters contained Rs 5,000 each.

He said a conspiracy was being run on the social media that the electoral reforms bill was passed by the parliament. He said no TV channel was telling people why the opposition opposed Hafiz Hamdullah’s stance. The opposition objected to the amendment presented by Hafiz Hamdullah as Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Parsis had not been exempted from the oath. He said he didn’t want to talk what Zahid Hamid said on the issue. The government could blame the whole parliament in this regard because the responsibility lay with all, he said.

He said the PPP, expressing its reservations on the recent census, had suggested audit of 5 per cent blocks. If the government accepted the PPP suggestion, the PPP might be ready to vote for the bill in the Senate.

He said the PML-N government was totally depending on the army but asking the PPP to fight it. Nobody could rely on Nawaz Sharif because he always shifted to the Sarwar Palace on the directions of the establishment after leaving his aides at critical times. The PPP got nothing for not shaking hands with Nawaz Sharif, he said, adding that cases against the PML-N chief were serious in nature. In such cases, man was arrested first and investigations were done later.

He said Ishaq Dar’s name was not put on the ECL and he went out of the country. If the Hudaibiya case was opened, nobody would be spared, and an affidavit by Ishaq Dar would be enough in this context, he said and added that the Sharifs would not let Dar return to the country. If he returned, there would be threats to his life, Aitzaz concluded.