The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) along with likeminded political parties including the PML-Likeminded, the PML-Q’s Independent Bloc, PPP-Sherpao and the Jamaat-e-Islami would stage a sit-in outside the Aiwan-e-Sadr against load shedding and other ‘anti-people’ policies of the government today (Thursday). After announcing his party’s decision of staging a sit-in in front of Aiwan-e-Sadr at 11am outside the Parliament House, Opposition Leader Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday contacted the leadership of the likeminded political parties to extend invitation to them for joining the PML-N’s anti-government show.
Nisar called PML-Likeminded President Salim Saifullah, JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman, Professor Ibrahim of the JI, PPP-Sherpao’s Aftab Ahmed Sherpao and the head of the senators belonging to the PML-Q’s Independent Bloc, Tariq Azeem. Talking to Pakistan Today, Senator Azeem said he had accepted Nisar’s invitation and his group would take part in the PML-N’s protest demonstration. Senator Ibrahim said he or any other representative of the JI would also participate in the PML-N’s sit-in. Saifullah said his party’s parliamentarians would fully participate in the sit-in to be staged by the PML-N in front of the Presidency.
Amjad Khan, spokesman of the JUI-F, said his party had not received any such invitation and they might consider participating in the sit-in if formally invited.Earlier, addressing the press conference outside the Parliament House, Nisar said his party would hold a protest rally against load shedding and other ‘anti-people’ policies of the government.Calling the PPP government an evil, he said a group of four or five corrupt and dishonest people had made the government hostage and the government, including the prime minister, had miserably failed in acting upon the mandate given to it by the people in general elections 2008.
He said it was not Benazir Bhutto’s PPP government but that of “Zardari League” and it would be a criminal act if it was given more time to remain in power. “The claim of the Zardari League to be a democratic government is a mere façade.”He said even members of the PPP were not satisfied with the performance of the government. “Grave incidents like targeted killings of a particular community in Balochistan are not taken into account by the government. The catastrophic floods could not stop the president from visiting abroad. The president always remains tight-lipped.
The rulers have utter disregard for the plight of the people,” Nisar said. He said everyday people were being killed in Balochistan and it seemed there was no government at all in the province. He added that even government allies opposed the draft of the government in the All Parties Conference and accepted the draft of the opposition. But now it was not implementing the resolution of the APC. “We have been told that a letter to the speaker of the National Assembly has been written in this regard and we do not know when the letter will reach it destination,” Nisar said, adding that now his party felt compelled to be part of the public voice.
The opposition leader in the National Assembly also added that the PM-Q and some members of the PPP were in contact with the PML-N and talks with them were gradually moving forward. He said his party was trying to take the MQM into confidence on the issues.
