Aitzaz denies ditching PPP for PTI

LAHORE:

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan on Thursday denied rumours of quitting the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Addressing a press conference in Zaman Park, the jurist addressed the rumours going around pertaining to his supposedly softening ties with the PTI in exchange for a speculated caretaker premiership.

He also addressed the rumours pertaining to his departure from the PPP, saying that the party is like a family to him. However, he also made it clear that former prime minister Imran Khan is a personal friend.

“PPP is my family, I do not believe in this kind of political discussion where if you have a political disagreement with someone, you start saying bad things [about them],” Aitzaz said. “I have been with PPP for a long time, I consider this party as my family.”

“I was also told to leave the PPP,” the party leader said. “There is no possibility of me joining any other party and leaving PPP.”

He said that he also received a message in 2007 that there was a long march from Lahore from May 5, and if he did not drive the chief justice’s car, he would be made the prime minister after Shaukat Aziz’s resignation.

“PPP is my party, there are differences of opinion, which is a democratic tradition,” he remarked. “Among all national parties of Pakistan, PPP is the only party which does not use religion for politics.”

PPP has a culture, and there are internal differences, he further said.

Commenting on the statement he made against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Aitzaz said that he wholeheartedly believes that institutions should not interfere in political matters.

He said that suspicions were raised that Kulsoom Nawaz’s medical reports were not being issued daily and many people doubted that she was not sick. However, he added, he regretted her death.

He made it clear that he had no land or water dispute with Nawaz Sharif. “No one was ready to advocate for Nawaz Sharif during General Ziaul Haq’s martial law,” he added.

“Kulsoom Nawaz came for Nawaz Sharif’s case, Mian Sharif said that Aitzaz is against us,” he continued. “After consulting with Benazir Bhutto to fight the case of Nawaz Sharif, I fought the case at that time.”

“Imran Khan is my friend, I consider him a good person, he is also a neighbour,” the PPP leader said.

He said that he once told Imran that he was using religion in politics and he replied that he was talking about Islamophobia.

“Treat your neighbors with dignity but political thinking is different,” Aitzaz said, adding that Pakistan cannot be uniformly centered on one political thinking.

He highlighted that powerful people in Pakistan evade the law.