‘Muk-Muka’ claims will only hurt PM, PML-N, says PPP’s Shah

• NA Opp leader says he will respond to Chaudhry Nisar’s accusations in parliament
• Says PPP saved democracy, not PML-N, during PTI’s protests against Nawaz Sharif’s govt

Senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have criticised Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for levelling “baseless allegations” against the party, saying the minister was creating problems for his own government and party with his controversial statements.

“Chaudhry Nisar is suffering from PPP phobia,” Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah said while addressing a press conference in Sukkur. Earlier in the day, in a heated press conference against critics of the National Action Plan (NAP), Nisar had hit out at the PPP, saying: “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been levelling allegations of ‘muk-muka’ (collusion) between the PML-N and PPP. I can confirm it (muk-muka).”

“How the opposition leader used his position to get benefits from the government is a separate story altogether,” Nisar went on to say.

Responding to Nisar’s statement, Shah said such an assertion (of collusion between the PPP and PML-N) was a direct attack on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“I had warned the PM several times about backstabbers in his own party,” he said.

“My party did not save anyone’s government, it was democracy we saved. I will reply to this accusation in parliament in front of the prime minister,” said the PPP stalwart, referring to the PPP’s support to the PML-N during the PTI’s sit-in protests to oust Premier Nawaz Sharif.

The PPP leader criticised the interior minister over what he said was a “delay in condemning the Charsadda University attack”.

Shah said he had only demanded a judicial enquiry into the APS attack and the Charsadda University attack, which he said was also a demand of the deceased children’s parents.

Shah said that it seemed that “no intellectual or politician knows about the National Action Plan (NAP) except Nisar himself.”

PML-N INDEBTED TO TALIBAN:

Speaking to reporters in Karachi a couple of hours before Shah’s presser, Sindh CM’s Adviser on Information Maula Bux Chandio alleged that it was the PML-N which supported “terrorist parties and their candidates” during elections and “held photo sessions with extremists”.

“They are indebted to the Taliban. “Nisar is infuriated over the opposition’s criticism of Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz. He must come clear on why he has sympathies for the cleric,” said Chandio.

The PPP leader also reminded PML-N of his party’s services to democracy, including the first ever peaceful transfer of power.

“Nisar is playing a dangerous game which will harm the federation,” he said.