LAHORE: PPP leader and former Senator Farhatullah Babar says they are ready to review their protest plans against the government provided the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) agrees on an in-house change -- replacing Prime Minister Imran Khan with some individual from the party.

Mr Babar, also PPP general secretary, says the “in-house change will be a better option among the choices available with the opposition against the government.”

Talking to Dawn by phone on Thursday, the former Senator argued that Mr Khan cannot deliver because of the baggage (various promises and policy statements the PTI chairman made while in the opposition) he’s carrying which he cannot get rid of. But the new (PTI) person who replace Mr Khan will be free from this burden and will be in a better position to amend the policies to improve delivery on the promises the PTI had made with the masses.

He was responding to a query about PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah Khan’s offer that they could extend their cooperation to the ruling PTI provided it changes the prime minister.

Mr Babar said he personally believed that in-house change was a better option to ensure political stability in the country though among other choices the opposition has had is street agitation, which they didn’t want as it could lead to [political] vacuum that may not be better for the country.

He, however, made it clear that a final decision on which options the opposition should adopt to get rid of the incompetent government would be taken at the proposed multi-party conference to be convened by the opposition after Eidul Fitr under the chair of JUI-F president Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2019