ISLAMABAD: As the opposition parties are gearing up to give a tough time to the treasury during the National Assembly session, which has been summoned by President Arif Alvi on Oct 29, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said sarcastically the venue for the multiparty conference of the opposition parties should be Adiala jail.

While the main opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, had recently filed two adjournment motions in the NA Secretariat against government’s decisions about media regulatory authority and abolition of subsidy on Metro bus services, former president and PPP leader Asif Zardari, along with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, told the media on Monday evening that the opposition parties were going to hold a multiparty conference to devise a joint strategy against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government.

In reaction to the opposition parties’ plan to join hands against the government, the information minister on his Twitter account posted a TV grab with the headline about the multiparty conference and captioned that the venue would be Adiala jail.

Information minister sarcastically suggests Adiala jail as venue for multiparty conference, asks ex-president to consult lawyers ‘within days’Mr Chaudhry also asked Mr Zardari to consult his lawyers instead of meeting political parties. He said the ex-president would realise the importance of this suggestion “not in weeks but within days”, hinting that the opposition party leader could be under hot waters within the next few days.

“By tabling resolutions, governments cannot be toppled,” the PTI leader said. “You need votes for that. Zardari sahib has lost his votes in his quest to earn notes,” he added.

Responding to the criticism, former senator and PPP minister Saeed Ghani said the statements coming from the federal cabinet member corroborate the claim that the headquarters of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had been shifted to Banigala, which houses palatial residence of PTI chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“Ministers are giving such statements on behalf of NAB and FIA that politicians can be held soon,” the PPP leader regretted.

He said Mr Chaudhry, a former leader of Gen Musharraf-led All Pakistan Muslim League, had expertise in changing his loyalties. The PTI leader should be worried about Mr Khan now instead of Mr Zardari, the PPP leader remarked.

Calling him a rented loud speaker, Mr Ghani said the information minister should better tell the nation why the prime minister had not attended the recently held UN summit.

Adjournment motions

In one of the motions, which the PML-N had submitted last Friday, the opposition party wanted that the National Assembly session be summoned to discuss the government decision to establish new Media Regulatory Authority without consulting the stakeholders and in the presence of various regulatory bodies to deal with the issues of electronic and print media.

“The government is using such tactic to control media by imposing censorship and by curbing their independence in order to avoid criticism against it. This is a serious matter which warrants immediate discussion on the floor of the house,” it stated.

The second adjournment motion was filed against the abolition of subsidy on Metro bus services in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan. “We want to discuss the decision of the government to end subsidy given to Metro buses operating in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan and increase in their ticket fares,” it said.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2018

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