QUETTA: National Party (NP) president Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo has hinted that a grand alliance of opposition parties comprising the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, NP and other parties may be formed after October.

Speaking to reporters after attending a party convention in Sibi on Sunday, he said the opposition parties had already started contacts for forming the grand alliance.

He said a massive movement would be launched against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government. He alleged that the PTI had come to power by rigging the July elections.

Mr Bizenjo said the government had arrested Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif to rig the coming by-elections in the country. He expressed the fear that former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari might also be taken into custody soon.

He said that through the arrest of PML-N and PPP leaders, the PTI government wanted to divert the attention of people from the price hike in the country. He lashed out at the PTI government for increasing gas and electricity prices.

Criticising the role of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the NP president said it was established by a military dictator to victimise his political opponents. He alleged that the PTI government was also using NAB for targeting members of opposition parties. “NAB is playing the same role it has played during the tenure of (retired Gen) Musharraf,” he added.

Mr Bizenjo regretted that the previous governments of PPP and PML-N had failed to abolish the dictatorial laws of NAB.

Terming the PTI government a dictatorial regime, he said all those who had played roles in the Musharraf government had been made part of it.

The NP president claimed that the country’s establishment had hatched a conspiracy for two years to oust the government of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He also claimed that the establishment had installed the PTI government with the help of NAB.

He alleged that the PTI government with the help of the establishment was trying to weaken the opposition, but the opposition parties would not bow down to a government that had been installed through a rigged election.

Mr Bizenjo said the PPP had committed a big political mistake by not supporting the opposition’s joint candidate in the election for president of the country. “It was a big mistake of the PPP and it had harmed the opposition alliance.”

He said that despite not supporting the opposition’s candidate which had given a walkover to the PTI candidate in the election for president, Mr Zardari might not evade his arrest.

Mr Bizenjo welcomed the appointment of retired Justice Amanullah Yasinzai as governor of Balochistan, saying that his appointment would create harmony among the people of the province belonging to different tribes and nationalities.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2018