ISLAMABAD – The opposition parties – the PML-N, PML-Q, JUI-F and JI – on Friday strongly condemned the PPP’s strike call in Sindh against the Supreme Court’s verdict against the Justice (r) Deedar Hussain Shah’s appointment as the NAB chairman.
However, the government’s coalition partners, the ANP and the MQM, chose not to comment on the strike call. Commenting on the PPP’s strategy, Senator Pervez Rashid of the PML-N said the strike call had exposed the party’s true face.
“The PML-N in its 10-point agenda had asked the government to respect the judiciary and implement its decisions, but it incited the people in Sindh to go on strike and hold protest demonstrations,” he said. He said the PPP’s strike call only in Sindh was an attempt to fan provincialism.
“A province, which is already burning, is being pushed to another chaos as the rulers’ injudicious steps could pitch it against other provinces,” he added. He said strikes and protests were meant to create hurdles in the way of law and constitution. Rashid said the government per the advice of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif should take the judiciary on board if it had complaints against it.
Advising the government to respect the judiciary, PML-Q central leader Ameer Muqam said the PPP’s strike call would lead to confrontation between the judiciary and the executive. “The country is already facing multiple crises and a clash between state institutions due to PPP’s stubbornness can invite total chaos and anarchy,” he added.
He said the PPP’s policy of confrontation could invite a third force to rule the country. JI’s Liaqat Baloch said President Asif Ali Zardari was using the PPP against the judiciary. “An independent judiciary is the prime target of the PPP. It is an alarming situation that the ruling party is making strike calls against the judiciary that could lead to complete disaster,” he said.
He added that the PPP was “doing all this to hide its governance failures and get political martyrdom before the next elections.” Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the JUI-F said calling strikes against the Supreme Court did not suit the government. “The PPP is reacting in haste … the judiciary should be respected and the JUI-F also feels that all state organs should operate within their constitutional ambit to avert any confrontation,” he added.
Senator Zahid Khan of ANP said everyone had the right to dissent and there was no harm in staging peaceful protests. “The PPP is holding protest rallies as its leaders think they are being discriminated against,” he added. The MQM leaders refused to comment on the issue.
