PPP leaders Raza Rabbani and Farhatullah Babar on Monday expressed reservations over the inclusion of a number 'old faces' in Prime Minister Imran Khan's newly appointed cabinet, who had previously either served in former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf's cabinet or were associated with him in the past.
Rabbani was concerned that the "former colleagues of Musharraf who were included in the cabinet are an open threat to the 18th Amendment, provincial autonomy, trade unions and freedom of press."
He called upon all democratic powers to unite instead of wrangling with each other over inconsequential matters.
"Opposition parties must be aware of the seriousness of the situation," he said, adding that a united opposition would be able to keep a better watch on parliament than a divided one.
"If opposition parties continue to remain divided this way, they will be held accountable by history."
Farhatullah Babar was of the opinion that "a cabinet full of old faces is at odds with Imran Khan's address."
He expressed concern that the prime minister had not spoken about civil-military relations in his address.
"Civil-military ties is one of the biggest issues among basic, political issues," Babar said.
"It is likely that Imran Khan will have to face serious circumstances when it comes to civil-military relations. A car that is being steered by one person and controlled by another will meet a horrific accident. If Imran Khan doesn't address civil-military relations, he will find himself at the same place that previous governments have also been," Babar claimed.
The PPP leader also criticised PM Khan for not speaking about the National Finance Commission (NFC) award or the formation of a parliamentary commission to probe allegations of election rigging.
"He will always face criticism that he came to power through a stolen election," Babar claimed.
He also alleged that Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, wishes for a rollback of the 18th Amendment and the NFC award, which "will be very dangerous for the federation".
"Increasing defence expenditures cannot be added to the NFC, that's why some people want it to be rolled back," Babar alleged.
"He spoke about province's issues," he continued. "Does he wish to take back powers from the provinces?"
"The people must have been frustrated by the PM's address," Babar said. "We though the PM would provide a programme for the future, but he just repeated the same things that people already know. He said the same things that all people talk about once they come into power. He did not provide a framework for his actions," he said.
"The task forces he spoke of had also been made in the past, and the outcomes of these task forces will be the same as they have always been," he predicted.
"Imran Khan lacks the ability to carry everyone along with him. He will fight with all political parties," the veteran PPP leader said.
"To keep himself on the throne, Imran Khan will take shelter with those powers that have brought him here. I am seeing dark, difficult days for Imran Khan," he added.
"If he takes shelter with unseen forces, then he will not be able to fulfil his promises."
