Freezing Shahbaz’s properties not fair: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal said freezing PML-N President Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif’s declared and inherited properties and similar vindictive moves were being carried out on the government’s behest.

He said that it is not fair to seal declared and inherited properties without solid reasons. He questioned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s sincerity in bringing legislation and ironing out the lacunae in the reappointment or extension of tenure of army chief. This government would not be on warpath with opposition if it was sincere on the matter, Ahsan Iqbal said while addressing the media outside the Parliament House after the PML-N’s central and provincial organisations meeting on Tuesday.

He said that the government is playing dangerous game regarding the matter of extension in tenure of army chief and wants to break all the relations with the opposition for this. He said that when the draft regarding legislation will come then the opposition will announce joint strategy.

He said that the application of NAB against Shahbaz Sharif, based on ambiguity, has been rejected by Supreme Court of Pakistan and has maintained the bail of Shahbaz Sharif. He said that the credibility of the NAB has been put at stake, adding that NAB did not present solid proofs regarding its allegations. He said that government wants to make NAB its B team, adding that government through these actions wants to increase political temperature in country and confrontation with opposition.

Now if the government is willing to engage the opposition in the matter of army chief’s extension then we would directly talk to Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi and not with his ministers, he maintained. He said that if Imran Niazi is not ready to meet with opposition then new prime minister will have to talk with opposition regarding legislation. “We thought the government would extend an olive branch to the opposition on the matter but it did exactly the opposite. This attitude suggests that the government is not serious in amending the Army Act,” he remarked.

The PML-N leader said the prime minister had also shown non-seriousness attitude on the issue of appointing the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) as the opposition leader in the National Assembly was yet to receive a positive message despite recommending three candidates of good repute for the post.