SUKKUR: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Monday severely criticised Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan for “damaging the democratic system” in the country.

Talking to reporters at his residence, Mr Shah said the PTI chairman had been active these days to remove him from the position of the opposition leader and for that purpose had contacted other opposition parties in the assembly.

He said it was strange that efforts were being made to unite opposition parties to remove the opposition leader, adding that for the process the atmosphere of parliament was being disturbed.

He alleged that Mr Khan had done nothing good for the political system of the country and always tried to damage it.

The opposition leader said he had been discharging his duties with honesty and sincerity over the past four years and raised voice for all important issues facing the country on the floor of the assembly. Many a time, Mr Shah added, he had played his role in bringing the angry PTI members back to the assembly.

Rejecting the possibility of a change in the assembly, he said had there been such a situation he would have been in Islamabad now. He said one of the problems with Mr Khan was that he always remained in a hurry to achieve his political ambitions.

Lambasting the PTI chairman for what he called his changing stances on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the opposition leader said there should be no difference between the words and actions of politicians.

Reacting to the reported contacts between leaderships of the PTI and MQM for changing the opposition leader, he said that before seeking MQM’s support Mr Khan should first tender an apology to its voters for using derogatory words for it in the past.

Mr Shah also criticised the MQM for what he called following a double policy. On the one hand, the party was seen going hand in hand with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and, on the other, it was seen collaborating with the PTI, he added.

He criticised the performance PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that what the party could do for the country when it did nothing for the province it had been ruling for four years.

The opposition leader said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had never compromised on its principles.

Talking about Nawaz Sharif, he said he had advised the ousted prime minister to face cases against him in courts.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2017