'No harm in contacts with establishment'

Ayub says opposition parties uniting for rule of law

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RAWALPINDI:

PTI leader and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Junaid Akbar Khan has admitted that the former ruling party is in contact with the establishment, stating that if the state took one step towards reconciliation, the PTI would take two such steps.

"We are not ashamed of being in contact with institutions. These are our own institutions," Khan said while talking to reporters outside Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where the PTI founder Imran Khan has been detained since September 2023.

He stated that the PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the leader of one generation and yet he could not be erased despite his execution. "The founder of PTI—Imran Khan—is, however, a leader of three generations. How will you erase him then?" he asked.

Meanwhile, PTI stalwart and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub on Thursday stated that all opposition parties are coming together on a single platform with the "sole aim" of ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law in the country.

Speaking to the media at the District Court Complex in the federal capital, the PTI leader urged the judiciary to "deliver verdicts on merit", emphasizing that only fair and just decisions can lead the country toward prosperity.

Discussing the state of the economy, Omar Ayub took aim at the rising prices of essential commodities, saying that food prices have skyrocketed, electricity and gas tariffs have surged drastically, and businesses are on the verge of collapse.

He also raised concerns about Pakistan's intelligence agencies, claiming that despite the presence of approximately 13 such agencies, they are "failing in their primary duties" and are instead preoccupied with fabricating cases against PTI leaders. He went on to say that intelligence officials should be court-martialed in areas where terrorism is on the rise.

Omar Ayub also took aim at President Asif Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, accusing them of deceiving the people of Sindh and allegedly selling the province's water.

In a veiled reference to appeasing the establishment, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is always busy with "boot polishing".

Omar Ayub maintained that all opposition parties were coming together on a single platform with the aim of ensuring the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law in the country.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Babar Awan on Thursday expressed concern over the rising tide of terrorism in the country, saying that a terrorist was recently handed over to the United States.

Drawing a comparison to former president Pervez Musharraf's tenure, Awan said the former military dictator also transferred individuals to the US in exchange for dollars.