Shah slams PTI for releasing caretaker PM nominees without consultations

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for announcing names for interim prime minister without discussions.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Shah expressed ire on PTI’s decision to announce nominees for caretaker prime minister. Claiming that he found out about the nominees through media, Shah said there was no need to meet PTI for deliberations on the matter. The Pakistan Peoples Party leader said he had contacted Imran Khan’s party but received no response.



As per law, the duty falls on the prime minister and opposition leader, he said. “I was shocked by PTI’s announcement,” he added. Stressing that he wanted to take every stakeholder in confidence, Shah said he had given the government until May 15 to finalise the name of caretaker prime minister.

Nawaz and his speeches

Reiterating that PPP had closed doors on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Quaid Nawaz Sharif, Shah cautioned the leader in his speeches. “Nawaz should not speak against the country and the institutions,” he said.

However, the PPP leader contradicted his statement by stating that “there are no last words in politics”. “An enemy today can be a friend tomorrow,” he said. “We always believe in dialogues with political powers.”



Shah observed that freedom of expression should not be restricted otherwise there would not be any difference between democracy and dictatorship. “The expression of opinion should not be used against the state,” he added.

PTI dismisses Shah's statements

Responding to Shah’s criticism, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry expressed his surprise on the PPP leader accusing PTI for revealing names without due diligence. Maintaining that the party had not officially announced nominees for an interim prime minister, Chaudhry said Shah should have reached out to PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi to clear the confusion.

The post of an opposition leader in the parliament is an important one, carelessness from a position should not be tolerated. He said the PTI will officially inform Shah of developments pertaining to care-taker premier nominees.