PML-N bashes PTI govt for putting Nawaz, Maryam on ECL

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Tuesday bashed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, saying the PTI government’s very first cabinet meeting had resorted to political victimisation of the opposition parties.

Addressing a press conference here, former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah and former Punjab government spokesperson Malik Muhammad Ahmad said the meeting put the names of two people in prison (Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz) on the Exit Control List (ECL), which is a sheer victimisation of the main opposition party. They said that insecurity of the PTI showed how weak their footing was. They know that they got the government through mass election results engineering and pre-poll rigging, they added.

They said it was imperative that the opposition parties agree on a joint candidate for the presidential election. And if they are able to do so, there is a possibility of their winning the election.

The PML-N leaders expressed displeasure at the PPP not voting for PML-N President Shahbaz for the post of prime minister. However, they were said holding on to prejudices was against the need of the hour, which merited a coherent and unanimous agreement on the name of the candidate for presidentship.

According to sources, opposition parties including PML-N and PPP will meet after Eid holidays to discuss possibilities of a joint candidate for presidential election. The PML-N, while expressing reservations over Aitzaz Ahsan’s candidature for presidentship, made it clear that it would prefer a joint candidate, unanimously agreed upon by all opposition parties.

A PPP delegation, led by former opposition leader Khursheed Shah and Raza Rabbani, met PML-N delegation comprising Ahsan Iqbal, Ayaz Sadiq and Rana Tanveer on Tuesday. The two sides discussed various political matters including candidature for the post of president.

After the meeting Ahsan Iqbal said the oppositions parties should work together on the issue of presidential candidate nomination, as failing to do so would only benefit the ruling party. He said it was too early to speculate who would be the joint candidate.

Ahsan said PPP leader Farhatullah Babar had mentioned earlier that Aitzaz, though a strong contender, was not the final candidate; therefore, there was room for negotiations.