LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the PPP has demanded President Arif Alvi should be impeached for his “unconstitutional acts”.

Addressing a news conference at the Multan Press Club on Friday, where leaders of the Qaumi Tajir Ittehad announced support to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate and his son, Ali Musa Gilani, in NA-157 by-election, Gilani said PPP Chairman Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had demanded impeachment of President Alvi for his “unconstitutional acts”.

He said the president had violated the Constitution by dissolving the National Assembly on the advice of ousted prime minister Imran Khan.

“However, the judiciary took notice of the matter and restored the assembly,” he added.

Mr Gilani said the nation had seen that no one was hearing the presidential address to the joint session of the parliament because Alvi violated the Constitution.

Replying to a query about PTI chairman’s audio leaks, he said the question should be asked to those who had brought Imran Khan into power.

He said the PTI was destabilising the country and eroding its economy because Imran Khan was throwing the country into chaos and the Election Commission’s verdict on foreign funding case proved that actually the PTI’s former government was “imported”.

He said the audio leaks had proved that Mr Khan’s narrative was “a pack of lies”.

Replying to another question about the PTI’s long march plan, he said the state machinery would swing into action if the marchers attempted to enter Islamabad following the party’s sit-in there.

He wondered that PTI MNAs despite resigning from the National Assembly and not attending the its sessions, were contesting the by-elections.

About PTI chairman’s announcement that he won’t join the assembly, despite contesting elections on nine seats, Gilani said, “Mr Khan was wasting time and resources of the country.”

Replying to another query about the Prime Minister House’s audio leaks, he said the premier had ordered investigation into the matter and action would be taken against the officials involved in the leaks.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2022