- NA Opp leader asks provincial EC members to resign following Khan’s rigging allegations against them
- Says govt ‘mishandled’ PTI’s Faisalabad’s shutdown call
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Syed Khurshid Shah said he is willing to mediate between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) if the two parties want to talk to end the current political impasse.
Talking to media on Tuesday, Shah reiterated that the government and PTI should realise that if the situation worsens they will suffer along with the state.
“(Finance Minister) Ishaq Dar called and informed me about the government’s willingness to negotiate,” he said.
PROVINCIAL ELECTION COMMISSIONERS:
Speaking to media, Shah asked all four provincial election commissioners to relinquish their posts and approach the Judicial Council against PTI Chairman Imran Khan who has alleged the involvement of the provincial election commissioners in rigging 2013 General Elections.
Speaking to media in Islamabad Tuesday, said he would back the four individuals if they approached the council, adding that the chief election commissioner does not have the authority to remove individuals from their posts. Khan should have approached the Judicial Council against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) personnel, said Shah.
GOVT MISHANDLED PTI’S FAISALABAD RALLY:
Criticising the government’s handling of the PTI’s call for a lockdown in Faisalabad, which led to the death of a PTI activist in violent clashes on Monday, Shah said such tactics were turning Khan into a hero in the eyes of the public.
“Just as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had shut offices in Gujranwala, they should have done the same in Faisalabad to avoid conflict,” said Shah.
Shah said the government should have exercised patience, adding that if political workers are pitched against workers it will lead to civil war.
“Whether Khan is acting on signals or not, the government should exercise mature politics,” he said.
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s team in Faisalabad has hurt its position,” adding that as PML-N’s Faisalabad leader Rana Sanaullah is already implicated in the Model Town incident, “the PM should wake up to reality”.
“The government makes mistakes themselves and then blames the establishment for creating problems.”
Regarding PTI’s call for shutdown in Karachi on December 12, Shah said, “They can protest peacefully but we will not allow anyone to create chaos and violence.”
