Open to talks with PTI: Sherry

KARACHI: The newly-appointed Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, belonging to Pakistan People's Party, has said that doors of PPP (for negotiations) are open for everyone, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, despite the fact that the PTI had failed to get the position of opposition leader in the upper house of parliament.

The PPP senator stated this on Friday while talking to newsmen at the Karachi Airport as she arrived in the city for the first time after being notified as the first woman opposition leader in the Senate of Pakistan.

She said the ruling PML-N was in a state of anarchy and had caused chaos in the country as the present government had entangled the country into the trap of foreign debts. She said the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products had caused serious miseries to poor people of the country.

She said that financial and economic situation of the country had been in a shambles owing to the policies of the present government. She said that the current oil price in the international market was 50 US dollars per barrel that had surged to 140 dollars per barrel during the previous PPP-led government in the country. She said the present government had been selling petroleum products at exorbitant prices despite decreased oil rates in the international market while every month a new surcharge was levied on the oil price to further jack it up.

“We will now respond in the Senate as to why they were ousted from power. I will myself respond as to why you were ousted from power. The rulers will now have to be answerable at every forum." She said this while referring to the oft-repeated popular question asked by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif during public meetings why he was deposed from power.

The opposition leader in the Senate said that all the concerned public parties having representation in the upper house of parliament would raise their voice emphatically on public issues as the Senate would reverberate with such voices representing the true public sentiments.

She said that rulers would be made answerable before the upper house of parliament whereas the Senate would represent the sentiments of oppressed communities of the country. She said that all the like-minded political parties with consensus had elected the new chairman of Senate on the desire of Balochistan as by doing so the wish of the people of Balochistan had been duly fulfilled. She said that Pakistan had to face an alarming situation on the front of foreign relations as the country had to face pressure globally owing to ill-advised policies of the government. Sherry Rehman said that earlier the country had been doing without a full-time foreign minister who had been appointed after pressure was mounted by the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the issue. She said that the country’s foreign minister had been doing nothing except doing tweets.

The opposition leader said that in future she will take along with her all the concerned political forces and move forward. She thanked all the political parties and their leadership with whose support she was notified as the opposition leader in the Senate. She also thanked activists of the PPP for their warm reception at the Karachi airport on her arrival. The PPP senator expressed her pleasure on revival of international cricketing activities in the country saying that she would surely go to the National Stadium to watch the final match of the Pakistan Super League.