Khursheed asks govt to bring no-confidence against Shahbaz

ISLAMABAD: Former opposition leader in the National Assembly and Pakistan People’s Party’s senior leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has said that that party will not let parliament function if serving Opposition Leader Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is removed from the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). He warned that a motion of no confidence against Shahbaz Sharif would be detrimental.

Responding to the government’s expected move to remove Shahbaz from the PAC chairmanship in Islamabad, Khursheed Shah said that “if a no-confidence motion is presented against Shahbaz, then we [PPP] won’t let the parliament function.”

PM Imran is trying to run the assembly like that from a container, said the PPP leader, adding that the government has unduly disturbed the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. A speaker has no mandate to change any member of the PAC but can only recommend a change at the request of the parties.

The PPP leader added that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers in the past used to chant slogans in parliament and stand up on their tables, and if the government doesn’t change its current course then the opposition will also have to undertake such actions.

The opposition parties tried to let Parliament function because of Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Defence Minister Pervez Khan Khattak and Speaker NA Asad Qaiser; however, “we won’t let Parliament function in a disrespectful manner. The government has failed to serve the people and wants to get involved in fights, said Khursheed Shah.

The PPP leader also criticised PM Imran s recent meeting with IMF Chief Christine Lagarde, saying that there was no previous example found of this. Imran did nothing but insulted Pakistan, adding that one who talked about committing suicide presented himself before the IMF. Shah said that the PM’s meeting with the IMF managing director was shameful for the country.