PPP wants ‘NA dissolved on Aug 8’

Punjab president says final date will be announced after consultation with PDM

LAHORE:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab President Rana Farooq Saeed on Wednesday revealed that his party wanted the National Assembly to be dissolved on Aug 8, saying that a final date would be announced after consultation with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

While addressing a news conference along with the party’s central and south Punjab leaders, Saeed said his party wanted the elections to be held in November.

Saeed said the PPP did not want to stop any party from contesting the polls.

“Registered parties should not be barred from participating in the elections. This is the stance of our chairman and president … free and fair polls should be held,” he said.

“Any party accused [of any wrongdoing] should get itself cleared,” he added.

A day earlier, Saeed said that the PML-N wanted to dismantle its main rival – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, but the PPP took a stand in this regard, as it did not believe in such undemocratic practice.

He said that they had to oppose this mentality of elbowing rival political parties out because if it was allowed once, every other political party after coming to power, would do the same with their rivals.

On Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s statement that the PML-N would win 100 national and 200 provincial assemblies’ seats in Punjab in the upcoming elections, Saeed maintained that the PPP was there to give a “tough time” to them.

“The entire province is not yours and you know that.”

He said the interim set-up should hold “fair polls” so that no one could point finger at them.

He maintained that the PPP would contest elections on “each and every seat in Punjab”, adding that the party which secured the highest number of seats would form government in the province.

“No chief secretary or IG will be with you (PML-N) when you go for polls,” he said. “The PPP wants the elections to be held in November.”

The PPP leader stated that the Sindh Assembly would be dissolved till Aug 10, and that they were ready to from an alliance with all the parties.

“Zardari is the king of reconciliation.”

He noted that the PPP wanted to take along all the parties whether it be the PTI, the JUI or the PML-N.

He held Pakistan supreme, saying: “The PPP will do whatever is good for the country.”

Saeed observed that the upcoming polls would be held on the basis of old census.

He opined that the opposition should also be consulted on the issue of caretaker premier’s name.

On the occasion, PPP leader Abdul Qadir Shaheen predicted that other parties’ members from Central Punjab would join their party in the next few days.

He said they did not want vengeful action against anyone.