CHARSADDA: Pakistan Peoples Party leaders and former prime ministers Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Friday that economic stability was not possible without political stability. They said that the country could not be put on the path of progress and development merely by making cases against political opponents on daily basis.

They expressed these views while talking to mediapersons at the residence of former PPP candidate for PK-59, Babar Ali Khan, after offering their condolences over the demise of Begum Naseem Wali Khan at Wali Bagh, Charsadda.

Party’s provincial president Humayun Khan, district president Amir Nawaz Khan and others also accompanied their central leaders.

The PPP leaders were received by ANP senior vice-president Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and Sangeen Wali Khan at Wali Bagh. They offered fateha for the departed soul of Begum Naseem Wali and paid her tribute for her political and democratic struggle.

They said that PPP gave respect to party workers and poor people. They said that during PPP tenure mega development projects had been started across the country. They said that Benazir Income Support Programme was launched to support poor women while their government had increased salaries and pensions of employees.

However, the two leaders said that Imran Khan had deceived the youth of the country with his party’s hollow slogan of ‘change’. They said that in PPP tenure the electricity price was Rs5 per unit as against Rs30 per unit at present.

They said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had deprived millions of people of jobs instead of giving them jobs as promised by Imran Khan.

They said that the government had failed on all fronts. They claimed that inexperienced ministers and rulers had brought the country to the verge of disaster.

The two PPP leaders said that formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement was the outcome of positive thinking of their leadership.

They said that their party had parted ways with PDM on principles.

They said that the opposition parties in and outside parliament had the same stakes to stand against wrong policies of the government.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2021