PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party central leader Khursheed Shah has demanded of the Supreme Court to take a suo motu notice of the ‘leaked’ audio clip of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar regarding PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz’s trial prior to the 2018 elections, and order an independent inquiry to ascertain its authenticity.

Addressing a news conference at the residence of former PPP provincial president Syed Zahir Ali Shah here on Wednesday, Mr Khursheed said his party had neither supported attempts to weaken national institutions nor would it do so in future.

He said if the former CJP didn’t move the apex court to defend himself on the matter, then the leaked audio clip would be considered to be true.

Khursheed Shah asks Saqib Nisar to get clean chit from apex court

Accompanied by central leader of the party Qamar Zaman Kaira, provincial president Najamuddin Khan, Women’s Wing provincial president Senator Rubina Khalid, Zahir Ali Shah, Mr Khursheed said the former CJP should get a clean chit from the Supreme Court on the matter.

He said the opposition parties were ‘completely’ united in parliament to resolve issues constitutionally.

The PPP leader said the opposition wanted to oust the government without delay but would never adopt undemocratic steps for the purpose.

He criticised the poor economic policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government and said the inflation and unemployment rates were increasing fast but the rulers weren’t bothered about the people’s misery caused by them.

Mr Khursheed said he expected no good from the ‘selected’ Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had made many U-turns on the promise to bring about a positive change in the people’s life.

He claimed that his party’s governments improved the people’s life, created jobs for them and took concrete steps to address inflation and poverty.

Meanwhile, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said his party advocated an in-house change but Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif opposed the idea and suggested protests out of parliament.

He said had the PML-N agreed to the suggestion of a no-confidence motion against the ruling PTI in the Punjab Assembly, the people would have seen changes in the centre as well.

Mr Kaira said the PPP had parted ways with the opposition’s alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement due to the ‘harsh attitude’ of PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

He said the current serious financial crisis in the country threatened the federation.

“The rulers have failed to adopt any solid economic policy. Frequent increase in the prices of essential commodities is no solution to the country’s problems,” he said.

The PPP leader said the PTI government had ‘totally surrendered to mafias’.

He rejected the recent legislation for the use of electronic voting machines in elections and said the EVM idea was impracticable as highlighted by the Election Commission of Pakistan as well. Mr Kaira said the government adopted ‘wrong and undemocratic’ method for EVM legislation.

He said PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other central leaders would address the party’s foundation day public meeting in Peshawar on Nov 30.

Meanwhile, the provincial PPP cabinet on Wednesday finalised arrangements for the Nov 30 public meeting and warned that if the workers’ access to the venue was blocked, the government would be responsible for any untoward incident.

The cabinet met here with provincial PPP president Najamuddin Khan in the chair and took approved measures to ensure the people’s participation in the public meeting in large numbers.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2021