LAHORE: Former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq alleges that the PTI government is attempting to divert public attention from gas crisis and other issues by involving world leaders in local politics.

He was responding to a query regarding Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry’s claim that Lebanese leader Saad Al-Hariri stated in a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Government Summit the other day that Nawaz Sharif disappointed them by not abiding by the terms decided in the ‘NRO’ he secured from Gen Musharraf back in 2000.

“The government is in fact involving the world leaders in local affairs for diverting public attention from financial and gas crises in the country,” Mr Sadiq said while talking to the media as well as notables of his constituency on Tuesday.

Recalling Imran’s claim while in opposition that he would rather commit suicide than going to seek loans for the country, the former speaker said for the first time a sitting prime minister went to hold loan talks with IMF. He said the meeting was in fact a no trust in the abilities of Finance Minister Asad Umar.

He denied that the party was considering withdrawal of Shahbaz as PAC chairman and made it clear that in no case the withdrawal would be made as the office was surrendered to the opposition leader in line with the parliamentary tradition set since inking of the Charter of Democracy.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019