LAHORE, Oct 30: The Pakistan People’s Party believes that the Tehreek-i-Insaf has launched the move to replace Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khursheed Shah to counter criticism against its (PTI) Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mahmoodur Rasheed.

The PPP says the PTI was “ill-advised” to target Mr Shah to save Mr Rasheed.

The PPP says when the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) did not “oblige” the PTI over the issue, it floated the name of Sheikh Rashid for face saving The PTI denies that it had ever sought vote from the MQM for the opposition leader.

“It was not the PPP’s friendly opposition role that forced the PTI to launch the move to replace Mr Shah. In fact, the PTI leadership was upset over Mahmoodur Rasheed’s links with the PML-N who had got favour from it by getting appointed his brother against a key post in the Lahore Development Authority,” PPP Secretary-General Sardar Latif Khosa said.

Talking to Dawn on Wednesday, he said the PTI had forgotten before launching the move to replace Mr Shah that the PPP was the largest opposition party in the parliament and it was the prerogative of the speaker to entertain or not the request of the PTI in this regard. “Had the PTI required number of votes it would have been clamouring for replacement of the opposition leader in the house. But perhaps the PTI forgot that the MQM could not afford to side with the opposition,” he said.

He said the PTI got disappointed at the end of the day and for face saving it floated the name of Sheikh Rashid who never had a chance for the slot being a lone member of his Awami Muslim League in the parliament. He said the opposition leader could not be made on “borrowed votes” as it had no moral, legal and constitutional justification.

Mr Khosa asked Imran Khan, the PTI chairman, as to why he shied away from expressing his desire of becoming the opposition leader. “Mr Khan should better do his homework and make an attempt as the PPP will not mind,” he challenged.

He said the PTI’s effort to tag PPP ‘a friendly opposition’ would never bear the fruit as the masses knew that the latter was openly criticising the PML-N government for its anti-people policies while the former was playing at the hands of the Punjab government to get benefits.

Punjab PTI spokesman Andileep Abbas told Dawn that her party had talked about replacement of the PPP opposition leader for his deal with the PML-N to install a ‘handpicked’ chairman of the National Accountability Bureau.

She said the PTI had never sought vote from the MQM for its candidate to replace Mr Shah. “Mr Khan is considered the opposition leader as the people know the PPP is a friendly opposition,” Ms Abbas said.