LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has again demanded that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shahbaz Sharif return home from abroad and play his role as the opposition leader.

Speaking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly here on Tuesday, PPP central information secretary Nafisa Shah said the PML-N was the largest opposition party in the country and its leader should play his role as the opposition leader in the National Assembly.

Recalling her party’s role in winning the opposition leader slot for Mr Sharif, she said now they demanded that he return home and play his due role as currently [PPP chairman] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was filling the vacuum created because of the long absence of Mr Sharif.

The PML-N chief is in London since mid-November last year to supervise treatment of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif.

Ms Shah said everyone was raising the question why the PML-N central leadership was keeping a mum these days. “Why have those who had been chanting the slogan of Respect the Vote, gone on leave now? “We too are raising the question that why is the central leadership of the PML-N quiet? What political expediency is barring them from speaking their mind on the issues of the day?”

Referring to politicking on coronavirus cases in Karachi, she said there were five identified cases in the federal territory and advised the federal government which, she said, seemed quarantined to realise its responsibility and not make the disease an issue specific to a federating unit. She said the Sindh government was proactively holding medical test of coronavirus suspects.

She told a questioner that they desired to see an active parliament and that the PPP had its own manifesto, voter as well as history therefore they would take part in politics on their own terms.

“Why should we follow others? We’ll take along the quarters which are closer to us.”

The PPP leader criticised the PTI government for what she said creating crises in all sectors. She said at the current international oil prices, petrol should be provided to the people at Rs32 per litre but regretted that it was being marketed by the government at Rs113 per litre.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2020