SUKKUR: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has said that use of inflammatory words in politics and confrontation with state institutions is dangerous for stability and sovereignty of the country.

Mr Shah said at a public meeting in Wairy village in Salehpat taluka, 39 kilometres from here, on Sunday that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had in past supported Mian Nawaz Sharif for the sake of democracy and the system and not to save the person of Mr Sharif.

He said that parliament was supreme institution and politicians must uphold its integrity and sanctity. “We asked Mr Sharif time and again to give respect to parliament and attend its sessions regularly because we believe parliament has solutions to all problems of politicians but PML-N never paid heed to the advice and today everyone can see the situation the party is mired in,” he said.

He said that all politicians, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman and others must give due importance to the parliament. It was because of such attitude of politicians that the country had to listen to the mantra of ‘do more’ again and again, he said.

Mr Shah said that heads of PTI and PML-N considered it below them to come to the parliament because they regarded it an inferior forum.

Politicians must remember that the very people who could send them to parliament and make them rulers could also expel them from their high positions and public offices, he said.

He said that use of inflammatory words in politics and confrontation with state institutions was dangerous for stability and sovereignty of the country.

About PTI chief Imran Khan’s seeking pardon from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Mr Shah said that if a politician was in the habit of committing wrongs and then asking for pardon, he should then say good-bye to politics forever.

He said that Imran Khan had forfeited his right to do politics after having sought pardon from ECP. He should clarify before people whether his criticism of ECP was wrong or his seeking pardon from it, he said.

He said that if a genuine politician was to take a principled stand he was required to stand firm like a rock and refuse to budge from his place.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto spurned making requests for pardon and therefore he was alive in people’s hearts till this day, he said.

Mr Shah said that Mr Sharif used to drag Pakistan Peoples Party into courts and he never spared any opportunity to remove the party’s governments.

Speaking about revival of cricket in the country, he said there was a good cricket ground in Karachi where international matches could be organised. If Pakistan Cricket Board overlooked Karachi then he would himself be the first to take the board to task, he said.

Local PPP leaders also addressed the public meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2017