Ongoing turmoil: Civil society urges disputing parties to break impasse

Want PTI, PAT to take constitutional route.

RAWALPINDI:

Politicians, civil society members and businessmen have expressed concern over the current political turmoil, urging all parties to sit on the negotiating table to break the impasse.

They have also expressed concern over clashes between the security staff and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).

They said that it would be a disastrous for the country if the prime minister was forced to resign.

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary Information Rawalpindi chapter Malik Azam while condemning the attack on the PTV building said that it was an assault on the freedom of expression.

Pakistan People’s Party Information Secretary Rawalpindi chapter Shujat Naqvi said that the attack on state buildings was highly condemnable.  He also held the government responsible for the current crisis saying it failed to handle the situation politically.

He urged the prime minister to constitute a ‘powerful’ committee to hold dialogue with the protesting parties. He said that his party has a legacy of long struggle and sacrifices for democracy, but “we neither waged any violent protest nor caused such a damage to economy as was caused by the current protests”.

Secretary General Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) Junaid Khokhar said that the bar has already passed a unanimous resolution against the resignation demand from the prime minister.

Pakistan Awami Workers Party General Secretary Akhtar Hussain said that all the events were ‘scripted’ and claimed that individuals of a powerful institution were behind the attack on the building of the state-run TV channel.

President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dr Shumail Daud Arain said that the current political situation will bring an irreparable economic loss to the country. He said that the country will have to face its repercussions for many years to come. “We are losing trust of international investors due to political instability, inconsistent policies and bad governance,” Arain said.

President Traders Association Motti Bazaar Tahir Tajj Bahutti said that the business community has suffered financial losses worth billions of rupees. He demanded that the disputing parties sit on the negotiating table to resolve the issue immediately.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2014.