'PML-N, PPP dealt a blow to country'

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that just as PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is remembered as the architect of the 1973 Constitution, the existing PPP leaders—Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari—will be remembered for disfiguring it.

"The PML-N and the PPP have dealt an irreparable blow to democracy in the country. We first witnessed the disintegration of the country in 1971. Now, we are witnessing it heading toward another downfall," the PTI leader who is incarcerated at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail said on Thursday.

Qureshi, who served as the country's foreign minister during the PTI's rule, was talking to reporters in Rawalpindi where he had been brought to attend a court hearing.

Talking with reference to PTI founder Imran Khan's letter to the army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, he said he had heard about the epistle but not read it. "We should look at the intention of Imran Khan as he wants to resolve issues," he said. On February 3, one of Imran's lawyer Faisal Chaudhry revealed that the former PM has written a letter to General Asim Munir, criticising the establishment's policies' and calling for a review of its approach towards national security and governance.

The letter, sent from Adiala Jail, highlighted Imran's concerns about what he described as a growing disconnect between the military and the public.

Imran argued that the "establishment is backing those who have twice benefited from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)", a reference to past political settlements that allowed leaders to evade corruption charges.

Qureshi said national consensus is essential for reforms in the country, as no individual alone has the capability to tackle these challenges. He said the current leadership must think about the nation with a calm and rational mindset.

"There is a need to eliminate hatred and bridge divisions. Forgiveness is necessary, and we must move forward. At this time, a national agenda is needed—there should be a major national agreement through which all political parties agree on an independent and autonomous Election Commission.

"An independent and autonomous Election Commission cannot harm anyone; if someone loses an election today, they may win in the future. Likewise, an independent judiciary and a free media will not harm anyone. One can always find faults, but now is the time to focus on the positives," he said.