PESHAWAR: The Pakistan People’s Party on Saturday criticised the federal government for deploying the army in Islamabad for security under Article 245 of the Constitution and declared the move unwise on part of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership.

During a meeting of his party workers, PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Khanzada Khan said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s August 14 march had baffled the PML-N leadership so much that it invoked Article 245 of the Constitution and thus, endangering democratic system in the country.

“It’s the duty of the government to take parliament into confidence before taking such steps as it is not a minor issue for the country’s future and political system,” he said.

He said the federal government itself had invited the military and in case of any harm to democracy, the entire responsibility would rest with the PML-N leadership because it had failed to tackle such a minor issue.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif doesn’t need to fear because Imran Khan is unable to topple the government through its protest marches but the rulers should show courage and face the challenge,” he said.

Says PML-N to be blamed in case of any harm to democracy

The PPP provincial president said the politics of confrontation had always harmed the country and therefore, PTI should avoid it.

He said the PTI chairman was taking very childish steps and in case he continued with his wrong policies, the democratic system would not put up with conspiracies.

Khanzada Khan, however, said the PPP on its part would try to foil attempts against democracy because it had always rendered matchless sacrifices against dictatorship in the country.

He later went to the house of provincial general secretary of Qaumi Watan Party Bakht Baidar Khan in Chakdara and condoled the death of his brother in a firing incident.

The PPP leader condemned the killing and said it was a complete failure of the provincial government to maintain law and order.

He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had voted the PTI to power but it failed to honour the people’s mandate as the government failed to initiate a single developmental project during the last one year.

Khanzada Khan said the PTI leadership had nothing to do with the development of the province and the people’s welfare and that it had focused on protests, sit-ins and demonstrations, which didn’t serve the purpose of the poor people.

During the visit, the PPP leader was accompanied by provincial general secretary Mohammad Hamayun Khan, Senator Ahmad Hassan Khan, former federal minister Malik Azmat Khan, former district president Khurshid Ali Khan, former provincial minister Malik Mehmood Zeb Khan and PSF leader Alamzeb Khan.

Meanwhile, former provincial president of PPP women’s wing Asma Alamgir on Saturday criticised the federal government for invoking Article 245 of the Constitution and said it was the duty of the federal government to take political parties on board before taking such a step as it could endanger democracy in the country.

“It is the basic right of every citizen and every political party to take out processions, hold rallies, public meetings and marches in any part of the country but it doesn’t mean that the government will call in the military for suppressing protests,” she told party workers at her house here.

Asma Alamgir said political parties should realise the significance of democracy and avoid taking steps to create problems for democratic system.

She advised the PTI leadership to avoid taking steps that could lead to the derailing of the system, saying dictatorship served the purpose of none.

Published in Dawn, Aug 3rd, 2014