Someone getting slapped, others stand trial: Khursheed

ISLAMABAD: Referring to leaders of the PML-N, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Wednesday said someone is being slapped, others are standing in courts. He said the PML-N did not value the parliament, which is why the PPP is not standing by it any more.

He expressed his disappointment over the issue of consultation on the caretaker prime minister, saying that the government was backtracking from its commitment on the matter.

“It seems that now the matter regarding the appointment of caretaker prime minister will be sent to parliamentary committee to come up with the decision as the government is backtracking on its earlier commitment,” he said while talking to newsmen at his chamber in the Parliament House.

The opposition leader said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had no authority to reject the opposition nominees for the caretaker premier. “The names suggested by the opposition cannot be rejected, in fact they will be sent to a parliamentary committee,” he said.

In reply to a question regarding the incident of brawl between Naeemul Haq of the PTI and Minister for Privatisation Daniyal Aziz in a TV programme, the opposition leader said the new trend of hurling abuses and physical brawls introduced in the politics by the PTI was dangerous and negation of politics introduced by the PPP in 1970s.

It is to be mentioned here that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbassi and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah had already held five rounds of consultation to pick a caretaker prime minister to run the interim government till the new elected government took power after the general elections but so far both had failed to reach a consensus.

The government is believed to have suggested the names of former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (R) Nasirul Mulk, Justice (R) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani – also a former chief justice – and former State Bank governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar.

The Pakistan People’s Party has finalised the names of Zaka Ashraf and Jalil Abbas Jilani for the caretaker prime minister while the PTI has suggested the names of the ex-governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr Ishrat Hussain, ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (R) Tassaduq Hussain Jilani and ex-commerce minister Abdul Razzak Dawood for the post of caretaker prime minister.