NAVEED BUTT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) did not agree to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for holding early general election in the country and said that Parliament should complete its tenure and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must resign immediately.

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah expressed these views while addressing a news conference here at Zardari House on Thursday. Spokesperson for PPPP Senator Farhatullah Babar, PPPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor, Media Coordinator Nazeer Dohki and others were present on the occasion.

Speaking about the party policy, the PPPP leader said, “Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is confronting with the institutions. Anyone stands or not but the PPPP stands behind the institutions. In the last six months, what the PML-N did with the institutions was not done by any dictator or political party in the past.”

Shah said that in the past, the PML-N had made confrontation and attacked the Supreme Court. “At that time when the PML-N attacked the apex court, some judges were in its pocket. But, today the situation is different; nothing can be kept secret,” he pointed out.

He said, “The PPPP faced accusation of friendly opposition for the sake of democracy and to save the Parliament in 2014 when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sit-in was at full swing before the Parliament.

Today, the PPPP will not play a role of friendly opposition. Today, the Prime Minster will have to resign for the sake of democracy and to protect the Parliament.”

Answering a question, the opposition leader said that the Prime Minister should go and the Parliament should complete its tenure. “After, Panama Paper case and JIT’s report, the prime minister has become weak and lost his credibility.

The demand of PPPP for resignation of the prime minister is not for its personal interests but for the protection of democracy and to save the country,” he claimed.

He said that Panama scandal not only exists in Pakistan but it is also an international issue. He said that after the JIT report, the prime minister has no right to keep continue his office. Today the Prime Minister’s resignation issue is being discussed in the cabinet meeting, which is a big change. After the JIT report, the prime minister can not face the heads of world countries, he added.

Answering a question, he said, “In 2014, when I held meeting with the prime minister, he said that enough is enough and I am going to resign but I (Shah) said that instead of doing so, he should call a joint session of the Parliament”.