KARACHI:
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will give a tit-for-tat response to a ‘long march’ threat from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Speaking at a hurriedly-called news conference at the Chief Minister House late Friday evening, Shah warned that if the PML-N led a long march to Islamabad, the PPP would march on Lahore. “In case of any eventuality, the PML-N will be held responsible,” he added.
He warned PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to act pragmatically and stop issuing threats to the PPP-led government. He said that the apex court has handed down an interim order. Constitutionally, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani could not be unseated on the basis of an interim order, he said.
Chief Minister Shah reminded Nawaz that he was signatory to the Charter of Democracy which states that any political party which comes to power will be allowed to complete its five-year constitutional term.
Attendees at the emergency news conference included provincial cabinet ministers and PPP leaders Shazia Marri, Ayaz Soomro, Agha Siraj Durrani and Mir Nadir Magsi.
The chief minister said that the PPP is a democratic party and its leaders have rendered unmatched sacrifices for democracy in the country. “We will not let sacrifices of our leaders to go to waste,” he added.
“Yousaf Raza Gilani has the mandate of 180 million people and constitutionally he is still the prime minister of the country,” Shah said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2012.
COMMENTS (5)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Long march on foot only and not on public money.
CM sahib, please march to Lahore.... I am waiting for that day! You and you're party is all talk.... Facta, Non Verba
This is not Tit for Tat. If any unconstitutional step is taken by the government and its crones in Punjab then not only Sindh but people from other provinces should also march towards Lahore. Enough is enough from these forces of destruction and democracy. Pack them back to Jeddah.
Good move, offense is a good defense.
Thanks Nawaz Sharif for once again sowing the seeds of hatred and separation among smaller provinces. NS should worry about his own power in Punjab after losing one of his safest seats only a day ago. After NS was bundled out twice by the general he has not learned to behave himself. Why can't NS wait for the SC order to come out and the final appeal to SC is decided?