Ex-minister says Opp’s meeting has scared govt

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Rahimdad Khan has praised his party’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for inviting all the opposition leaders to discuss the prevailing situation.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said though it was a social gathering and an Iftar dinner, it had frightened the government and its allies.

He said the leaders of opposition parties sat together and discussed issues and would draw a joint line of action after Eidul Fitr.

Rahimdad recalled the PPP has always rendered sacrifices and played a role whenever any crisis erupted in the country.

He said the PPP and its leadership had the qualities to face challenges and unite the nation.

The PPP leader said Pakistan was passing through the worst economic crisis of its history and it was the responsibility of the genuine leadership to come forward to rid the nation of uncertainty and unrest.

He observed that the wrong policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government have multiplied the difficulties of the common man and the recent agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF) would create more problems for people.

Rahimdad said the so-called champion of change and reforms had first declared not to approach IMF but later signed an agreement with it and the delay in getting a loan further complicated the problems.

The former senior minister urged the opposition parties and leaders to forge unity and only then they could pull the people out of the crisis.

He said the meeting of opposition leaders created fears in the corridors of power, adding the opposition should benefit from the current situation.

The PPP leader said the unity of opposition could rid the nation of “the inefficient rulers, who were bent on pushing the country towards anarchy.” The Hayatabad police have busted a gang allegedly involved in robberies and injuring people for offering resistance, officials said on Monday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Zahoor Babar Afridi told a press conference at Malik Saad Shaheed Police

Lines that the gang had snatched Rs3 million from money changers and injured a guard on offering resistance in Hayatabad a few days ago.

The employees of the money changer were carrying cash from the bank when intercepted by the five armed men.

The SSP said five alleged members of the gang, Mustafa, Nizam, Mihad, Atif and Hayat, were arrested who also confessed to have snatched Rs2.4 million from the manager of a petrol pump.

He said the police recovered Rs3.6 million along with weapons and motorbike from the arrested robbers.