ISLAMABAD: Following former president Asif Zardari’s incendiary statement on Monday, Information Minister Pervez Rashid extended an olive branch in an attempt to calm tensions between the ruling party and the PPP, but promised no let-up in the ongoing law enforcement action against key party leaders and Sindh government officials.

Mr Rashid, who usually plays the part of a provocateur in his press conferences, said that the PML-N government had nothing to do with the current Rangers, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) action against PPP leaders in Sindh.

Mr Rashid also gave the impression that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not aware of Dr Asim Hussain’s arrest. “The PM ordered an inquiry into Dr Asim’s arrest two days ago.”

This was in contrast to remarks made earlier in the day by Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar. In a press conference held to announce the modalities of the new law for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, she said: “Everyone knows who was behind the corruption in PMDC”, a thinly-veiled reference to Dr Asim Hussain.

Rashid tries to defuse tensions with PPP, says party leaders will be exonerated if found innocent

The information minister said that Mr Zardari had either been given inaccurate information or he had misunderstood that the action against the PPP leaders was being carried out at the PML-N’s behest. “Nawaz Sharif and former PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto buried the ‘politics of revenge’ when they signed the Charter of Democracy in May 2006,” he said.

Mr Rashid said that since 1999, the PML-N had not instituted any cases against politicians and the cases against PPP leaders were registered before their time in power.

However, the minister stopped short of assuring the annoyed PPP leadership of any relief from the law enforcement action, saying only that “if the leaders facing investigation are not involved in any crime, they will be exonerated”.

In reply to a question, he said that the PPP co-chairman was a seasoned politician and the government should listen to him patiently. “Governments should give due weightage to the opposition’s voice. We exhibited the same spirit during the sit-in staged last year, when abusive language was used against ruling party leaders,” he said.

To a query about the PTI’s demand for removing four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Mr Rashid said that if they were sent home, the whole ECP would stand dissolved and the forthcoming local government elections and by-elections would not be possible.

“In fact, the PTI wants to escape the by-elections, which is why it is demanding the removal of commission members,” he said.

Talking about the ongoing negotiations between the government and the MQM, aimed at bringing the latter back to parliament, the minister said: “There is no delay in the talks and there will be good news soon.”

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play