Opposition parties condemn Sindh assembly speaker’s arrest

PML-N, PPP decide to give govt ‘tough time’ inside and outside parliament

ISLAMABAD: A joint meeting of members of opposition parties condemned the arrest of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani while discussing the activities of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the current political scenario.

Parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who attended the meeting held in the opposition chambers, also agreed to give the government ‘a tough time’ inside and outside of parliament.

Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif could not attend the meeting due to illness. However, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Khursheed Shah and other leaders were present.

Speaking after the meeting, Raja Pervez Ashraf said that Durrani’s arrest was an attempt by certain elements to create a crisis like situation in the country, ‘which would not be in anyone’s control’.

PPP leader Khursheed Shah said that the arrest reflected the anti-corruption watchdog’s dual standards, as the Sindh assembly speaker was arrested while NAB was investigating another speaker of a provincial assembly.



“NAB has been exercising prejudice in its actions. A senator who has been facing Supreme Court investigations has not been even interrogated because he belongs to the ruling party,” he said. Arrests like these are an attack from the federal government, he added.

While condemning Durrani’s arrest, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said the government’s decision to place the names of opposition leaders in the Exit Control List (ECL) was inappropriate.