5
HYDERABAD: Senior Minister for Food and Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will be the biggest hurdle in the way of an “non-political attempt” aimed against democracy.
He was responding to questioners, at a ‘Meet the Press’ programme held in the local press club on Monday, who wanted to know about the PPP strategy with regard to the Nov 2 lockdown of Islamabad planned by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Mr Khuhro said that his party always fought against anti-democracy elements and rendered matchless sacrifices for a sustainable democracy in the country.
“The PPP is strong today because of the struggle it waged and sacrifices it rendered for democracy to flourish in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the party could not be weakened because it believed in resolving all political issues through purely political and democratic means. “If any individual or party tried to harm democracy through an nonpolitical struggle, the PPP will be the biggest hurdle in the way,” he categorically stated.
Mr Khuhro referred to the services rendered by PPP founder chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the nation, and said that his successors and followers also tried their best to keep it up. He said that PPP strongly believed that democracy was inevitable for the survival of the country and prosperity of the nation.
“The party fulfilled the promises it had made to the masses during the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD),” and in this regard cited the restoration of the 1973 Constitution as well as unprecedented progress towards provincial autonomy through legislation.
‘PTI stands isolated’
Mr Khuhro observed that PTI got itself isolated in its struggle to unseat Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Once supported by almost all opposition parties, the PTI today did not find a single party behind it, he said, adding that even the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) that played its strongest supporter in 2014 was now refusing to support PTI’s Islamabad lock-down plan.
The PPP leader accused the PTI of playing the B-team of [former president] General Pervez Musharraf arguing that it’s chairman, Imran Khan, used to appreciated the dictatorial regime.
“Mr Khan’s most recent statement, that Nawaz Sharif will be responsible if the ‘third power’ stepped in..., is somewhat astonishing,” he said, and said a person with such views should have no right to do politics in democracy.
Mr Khuhro said Mr Khan had already moved a court of law against Mr Sharif’s alleged corruption and at the same time moved on to lock down the capital which, he said, was something strange.
Kamal’s allegations
In reply to several questions about PPP’s long-time ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the senior PPP leader said the MQM was at present in the process of dismemberment with groups emerging one after the other. However, he said, the party’s lawmakers had achieved the mandate with the ‘Long live Pakistan’ slogan. “And now when their mentor, Altaf Hussain, disowned the slogan, the lawmakers disowned him by parting ways with him,” he said.
Regarding former mayor Mustafa Kamal’s allegations against Governor Ishratul Ibad, Mr Khuhro argued why Mr Kamal remained silent for such a long time over what he claimed to be ‘facts’ despite being a power mayor during the Musharraf regime. He had billions of rupees put at his disposal for development in Karachi, he recalled.
Adviser to the CM on Information Maula Bux Chandio and several other senior PPP leaders accompanied Mr Khuhro.
Speaking to the audience, Mr Chandio criticised Imran Khan for his attitude that, according to him, led to the isolation of his party. “Initially, all major opposition parties stood with the PTI but perhaps [Awami Muslim League chief] Shaikh Rasheed advised Imran Khan to take a solo flight in his movement against PM Nawaz Sharif,” he said.
Commenting on Mr Khan’s statement about possible intervention by the ‘third power’, Mr Chandio said if such a thing happened, it would mean success of a conspiracy. “And the PTI would become the next Q-League in such a case,” he quickly added to clearly refer to Pakistan Muslim Leauge-Quaid’s coming to power with the blessings of the 1999 coup leader, Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016
