- Khursheed Shah says PTI should reconsider decision to launch a mass movement, as Naeemul Haq says party left with no option but to take to streets to ensure accountability of the rulers
Opposition parties look perturbed over the announcement of a mass movement from August 7 by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against the “government’s corruption” and ill state of affairs in the country.
Commenting on Khan’s announcement, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said that Imran Khan and his party did not take other opposition groups into confidence over their mass movement against the government. “Khan’s solo flight can badly affect the unity of the opposition and ultimately benefit the government,” he added.
Shah suggested that the PTI leadership reconsidered their decision before launching any such movement, recalling that Imran Khan’s movement of 2014 when his party staged a 126-day-long sit-in in Islamabad remained unsuccessful primarily for not taking the leaders of other opposition parties into confidence.
PTI Central Secretary Information Naeemul Haq, on the other hand, said the party’s anti-corruption movement would in no way damage the alliance of the opposition struggling for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s accountability on the issue of Panama leaks.
He said the party’s decision of mass movement against the government would not affect its relationship with other opposition groups since all the opposition parties and nation were on the same page as far as the Panama scandal was concerned.
According to Haq, the PTI is an active part of the struggle of the opposition regarding the Panama leaks, and hence the decision about the mass movement has been taken to press the government to probe the matter forthwith. “Every political party has the right to adopt a solo or collective strategy on the issue in accordance with its manifesto or ideology,” he went on to add.
The PTI leader said the party stood by other opposition parties on the issue of eradicating corruption from the country and on the accountability of the ruling family. “The PTI will prefer to adopt a joint strategy inside and outside of the Parliament House for a probe into the Panama leaks. However, every party has the liberty to take its own course (over the issue) as well,” added Haq.
The PTI leader further said they were left with no option but to take on to roads to ensure the accountability of the rulers.
Talking to media on Wednesday, Imran Khan announced to launch a countrywide movement against what he called corruption and crooked rulers and to defeat the forces of status quo. He said if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could not be held accountable with regards to the Panama leaks, no other person could be probed.
