After getting assurance from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of support to Khurshid Shah, the angered leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has opened a new front in the Punjab Assembly seeking removal of Mahmoodur Rasheed from the slot of leader of the opposition to build pressure on the inexperienced campaigners of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
However, the PPP leadership is not ready to publicly own the move and rather all the PPP leaders requested not to quote their names in this regard.
Angered by an alleged underhand deal between the PML-N and the PPP leadership for the appointment of Qamar Zaman Chaudhry as chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) without taking other parties into confidence, some PTI leaders, without finishing their homework, had leaked information to the media that their party was planning to remove Shah from his post so that he could be replaced by party chairman Imran Khan.
A source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that the slot of leader of the opposition was very important for the PPP leadership as this slot was also provided leverage to it for building pressure over the PML-N government.
The PPP leader said the PTI leadership looked determined to getting Shah removed form his post and after initial failure to replace Shah with Imran Khan, the PTI leaders had urged Shaikh Rasheed to try and win MQM’s support for himself.
The PPP leader added that the PTI had already won support of minor political forces of opposition such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, the Qaumi Watan Party and Jamshed Dasti but it could only secure the slot with support from MQM – its bitter opponent.
However, later the move backfired as the MQM distanced itself from the PTI move after offers by the PPP top brass to join the government benches in Sindh. After assurances from the MQM, the PPP is now building pressure on the PTI’s leader of opposition in a tit-for-tat move to teach the inexperienced leaders of PTI a lesson.
Under the strategy, the source added, the PPP leadership has let loose its two loud mouths – Raja Riaz and Shaukat Basra – to open salvo against PTI’s Mahmoodur Rashid.
“The immature and childish moves by some PTI ambitious leaders without any serious planning have backfired once again and the alarmed and furious Shah has chalked out a plan to teach a lesson to the Imran Khan-led PTI ‘rankers’. But before the move, the PPP has made sure to tame the MQM which has a trump card in removing leader of the opposition in national assembly,” the source added.
“How did they (PTI leaders) dare think of removing Khurshid Shah, a PPP loyalist? Now they will have to face the music. We will teach them a good lesson,” the PPP leader said.
Asked how could the PPP put a dent in the PTI who has a considerable strength in the Punjab Assembly while the PML-Q was also supporting the PTI’s leader of the opposition, the PPP source added that building up pressure against the PTI did not aim at changing the opposition leader but it aimed at thwarting the move against Shah.
When contacted, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said PPP Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo had already disowned the statement by Raja Riaz, terming it his personal views.
PPP and PML find a guy that will keep both out of jail-NAB is just a front to protect the crooks.
I dont understand why the author keeps using word inexperienced for PTI. I think they are honest and dont play games like PPP and PMLN. There should be a proper and honest person for the National Assembly. That will be only IK.
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