PPP endorses PTI’s call for leaks inquiry

Calls on government to sack Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar

KARACHI: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party leaders made it clear on Saturday that despite their differences with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on a raft of issues, the two parties are equally resolved about holding an impartial inquiry into Panama Papers revelations.



Addressing a press conference after a party meeting chaired by the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP leaders – Aitzaz Ahsan, Sherry Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Taj Haider, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Farhatullah Babar and Khursheed Shah – condemned the crackdown on PTI workers in Islamabad.

They also called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif remove Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, who, according to them, is the main character behind creating chaos in the country.

“It seems that the prime minister has lost his temper. He has now been trapped because of his wrong decisions and policies and it is difficult for him to maintain balance of power,” Aitzaz said.

He said after emergence of Panama Papers, three government ministers approached Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah and everyone knew about their motives, which, he said, could not be disclosed publicly.



Aitzaz also referred to contradictory statements of the prime minister’s children after the Panama Papers’ revelations. “Maryam Nawaz denied that she had any property in the country or abroad, but Hussain Nawaz owned the apartment in London and other property,” he said.

Meanwhile, the interior minister came up with another statement that this apartment in London was purchased around 20 years back, he added.

Commenting on the sacking of Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid due to his ‘negligence’ in the episode of planting of a controversial story in an English daily earlier this month, he said, “The prime minister himself is part of the conspiracy.”

Senator Farhatullah Babar said government should focus on the implementation of NAP and hold the interior ministry responsible for failing to control growing terrorism and insurgency in the country.

“Today’s meeting demanded that the interior minister resign from his post,” he said. “Chaudhry Nisar himself should resign; otherwise the PM must take up the initiative to remove him.”

Bilawal meets Dr Asim

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz was using the paramilitary Rangers’ surgical operation in Karachi to his advantage.



Talking to media after his visit to incarcerated PPP leader Dr Asim Hussain who is admitted to the Jinnah Hospital,  Bilawal said, “It looks Nawaz Sharif is using the interior ministry for political victimisation.

He said Dr Asim had been in jail for the last 16 months and was put under 90-day Rangers’ custody before terror financing and graft cases were lodged against him.  “He is not Taliban, but a PPP leader,” he said.

He asked the government to take action against terrorists rather than targeting political rivals.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2016.