LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh chapter’s president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said there is no room for presidential system in constitution and attempts to impose it will be tantamount to violation of the sacred document which attracts punishment for treason charges under Article-6.

Khuhro said in a statement issued here on Thursday that it was now prime minister’s turn to get disqualified after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ended Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Faisal Vawda’s career as lawmaker on charges of concealment of dual nationality at the time of contesting a National Assembly seat in Karachi in general election 2018.

He said that Imran Khan attempted to save Vawda from disqualification by asking him to resign from the National Assembly and thus played a role as facilitator, who himself was no more Sadiq and Amin for hiding foreign accounts. The ECP should, therefore, disqualify him and his entire party, he said.

He hailed the ECP decision and said it would improve its image in peoples’ eyes if it continued to hold ground and kept up the practice of giving such merit-based decisions. It would also ensure its independence and boost its confidence, he said.

He ridiculed the prime minister’s plan to hold public meetings and said he was doing so in response to opposition parties’ meetings, PPP’s scheduled long march and protests. It would be a joke if a prime minister held public meetings against opposition, he said, adding it also spoke volumes for the fact that he was fast losing his power.

He termed such meetings ‘farewell’ gatherings of the prime minister particularly after his political allies had started showing signs they were not prepared to sail with him in the sinking boat and bear his burden any more.

He said that ousting a prime minister through a no-confidence motion was a legal route and if all opposition parties approved the idea, the prime minister and the chief minister of Punjab would be shown the door within no time.

Khuhro said that people were fast alienating from Imran Khan’s government and hinted at using both the routes — tabling no confidence motion and mobilising masses against the PTI government.

He claimed that people were ready to rise against the incompetent PTI-rule and expressed optimism that the Feb 27 long march would force the PM to step down. There was still time for the prime minister to resign and announce holding general election, otherwise, he would meet the same fate as former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, he warned.

He said that a welfare state was supposed to provide maximum relief to people but in contrast the present PTI government was bent on adding to peoples’ misery. People of Pakistan paid a host of taxes but unfortunately no one knew where the collected revenue was being spent, he said.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2022