SUKKUR: Pakistan Peoples Party’s senior leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf gover­nment’s foreign policy has totally failed as Pakistan’s relations with some of its closest friends like UAE and Saudi Arabia turned cool during the last two years.

Speaking to the media after appearing in the National Accountability Bureau, Sukkur, on Monday, Mr Shah called for convening a joint session of parliament to discuss what he called the “flawed” foreign policy and ways to improve it.

He claimed that Pakistan’s policy towards neighbouring Afghanistan was particularly unclear though a terrible situation was feared to emerge in the wake of the ongoing withdrawal of US-Nato forces from that country. The federal gover­nment must take all parliamentary parties in confidence regarding all internal and international issues confronting Pakistan, he said, adding that Pakistan’s foreign policy had never been as ineffective in 30-35 years as it was today. The reason, according to him, was that the PTI government had never taken opposition parties into confidence on national and international issues for finding ways to tackle them effectively.

Khursheed Shah, who has previously served as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, warned that India was taking full advantage of government’s failure to adopt an appropriate foreign policy in the prevailing situation in and around Pakistan.

Commenting on Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, he said: “If the election is stolen, this will cause harm to the country”.

He regretted that that the PTI government was doing nothing but using foul language against great leaders and blaming its failures on previous governments.

Apparently referring to former president Asif Ali Zardari’s policy of reconciliation with opposition forces, Mr Shah recalled: “When we [PPP] had been in power [at the Centre], we had buried all hatchets in order to jointly serve the masses”.

In reply to a question about his appearance before NAB officials in connection with a references regarding accumulation of assets beyond his known sources of income, Mr Shah said no claims or allegations contained in the references against him and his family members could be proved so far.

“I will resign [as MNA] if any crime against me is proved,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2021