Ready for dialogue if election date is given first: Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Wednesday that his party was ready for a "grand dialogue" but would only come to the table if an election date was announced.

Talking to the press in Islamabad, Fawad said that if the government continued making such moves one after the other, it may derail democracy in the country. “Every other day, a new scandal of this government is coming to light. There is a solar scandal, which should be investigated,” said the PTI leader.

The former information minister claimed that not a single corruption case was filed against any of the ministers belonging to the PTI-led government. “What happened to Captain (retd) Safdar in our tenure was done by the Sindh government. Two journalists were killed in Sindh and cases are being registered against politicians. They want a solution to political problems but the date of election should be given first,” said the PTI leader.

Taking a jibe at his successor Marriyum Aurangzeb, Fawad said that the incumbent information minister should respond as her husband is an Australian citizen and represents the tobacco industry in Pakistan.

Fawad alleged that billions of rupees were given to the tobacco industry because of Marriyum’s lobbying. He added that due to her lobbying, foreign companies were given concessions. “Now due to the lobbying of Ali Tareen and Marriyum Aurangzeb, the tobacco industry got billions of rupees as tax concessions,” claimed Fawad.

On the other hand, Shireen Mazari said that the grand dialogue should be led by those who have people's mandate. "There is no opposition in Parliament, the largest political party of the country is outside the parliament,” said Mazari as she alleged that lawlessness is at its peak during the incumbent government’s tenure. “If you want to impose Martial Law, then announce it clearly. Wherever we go, our cars are stopped and people are abducted,” said the former human rights minister.