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ISLAMABAD: Perturbed over the arrest of former federal minister for petroleum and natural resources Dr Asim Hussain, the PPP has sought explanation from the federal government over recent actions taken by investigation agencies in Karachi.
Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah condemned the arrest of Dr Hussain, who is chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, and claimed that the provincial government was not informed before taking action.
He alleged that certain institutions had become “a state within the state”, and warned that if institutions were allowed to interfere in the affairs of the government or other institutions, the consequences could be dangerous for the country.
The arrest should have been made after proper investigation and only if any concrete evidence had been found, he added.
Dr Asim Hussain was reportedly detained by men in plain-clothes when he was presiding over a meeting of the Sindh HEC. He is considered to be a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari.
Mr Shah, who had earlier met PTI’s senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, reiterated his demand that members of the Election Commission of Pakistan should immediately resign in view of a report of the poll inquiry commission and latest decisions of election tribunals.
Talking to Dawn, Mr Qureshi said he had met the leader of opposition as part of his party’s strategy to take all political parties on board on the demand for ECP members’ resignation.
He said both the PPP and the PTI were of the view that ECP members should immediately resign because they had become controversial.
According to him, Mr Khurshid Shah said that he had already apologised to the nation over his role in the appointment of the ECP members and that Chaudhry Nisar, who was the leader of the opposition, should do the same.
Talking to reporters outside Zardari House, PPP’s information secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira and party’s Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo also criticised the government over the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain and said the party had serious reservations over the way he had been detained.
Mr Kaira said that since Dr Asim was a government official the Sindh government should have been informed prior to his arrest.
He also said that ECP members should quit after recent decisions of election tribunals.
All political parties, currently discussing electoral reforms in a parliamentary committee, should find a mechanism for removal of ECP members and appointment of their replacements, he added.
The PPP leaders informed newsmen about meetings being presided over by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Zardari House.
They said the PPP had decided to raise its voice in support of farmers.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2015
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