Talking politics: ‘Coming months crucial for political environment’

Former governor says no political party as grounded among the people as PPP

BAHAWALPUR: The next two months are crucial for the country’s political environment as the issue of extending the army chief’s tenure will come up, Pakistan Peoples Party central leader Makhdoom Syed Ahmad Mehmood said on Sunday while speaking to journalists at his residence in Jamaldinwali. “The centre will have to decide whether they will appoint a new chief of army staff or extend Raheel Sharif’s tenure.”

Once that is settled, it would help clear the political situation, Mehmood said. “However, it is now apparent that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s political career fell to the Panama Papers scandal.” He said the Panama Papers issue was paramount because it involved “the global establishment”.  He said following the leak, leaders of three countries had resigned, “as will Nawaz Sharif”.

Mehmood said the future of politics in Pakistan belonged to the Pakistan Peoples Party and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “No other political party has roots among the people of Pakistan…Maryam Nawaz has no future in politics. The Panama Papers scandal put paid to that.”

The PPP leader said the PPP would be at the helm in the next phase of the local government elections and decisions pertaining to selection of heads of local administration heads in Rahim Yar Khan district.  “Our success is guaranteed.” He said their struggle for political representation was not because the PPP wanted power in Rahim Yar Khan. “We only want honest people to lead the district administration.”

He said the politics of quotas, references and corruption would be ended in the district. “It’s about time we showed the PML-N how good governance is done.”

Mehmood said the south Punjab’s sense of deprivation and backwardness could be fixed only if the government implemented the resolutions passed in the Provincial and National Assemblies and the Senate. “Bahawalpur province must be restored and a new province must be created in south Punjab.”

He said the Indian Army’s crackdown in disputed Kashmir was shameful. The United Nations should observe its responsibilities regarding the implementation of its resolutions, he said. “Declaring the heinous crimes carried out in Disputed Kashmir their internal matter does not hold any weight.”

He said the political and military leadership of Pakistan had responded to the atrocities in Kashmir in a satisfactory manner. “We hope that the government does not extend a hand of friendship to India at the cost of Kashmir.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2016.