Gilani to Sharifs: Right time for long march was Musharraf's era

Prime Minister says Sharif brothers should have come back from Jeddah and held a long march for the people, judiciary.

NAROWAL: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, while challenging the Punjab government that has announced holding a long march against the federal government, said that no party is stronger than the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in all four provinces in respect to power and the people’s mandate.

Addressing a rally in Narowal on Saturday, Gilani criticised the protest movement and said, “The right time for a long march was during [former dictator Pervez] Musharraf’s era, when judges were in jails and the media was restrained. You should have come back from Jeddah and held a long march for the people and the judiciary.

“You made a deal and left the country. We are the ones who fought for democracy,” he added.

Referring to Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif without taking any names, Gilani said, “One brother says that he doesn’t accept the president, the other brother says he doesn’t accept the prime minister… Now a new person has emerged, Chaudhry Nisar, who says he doesn’t accept the speaker. What kind of a leadership is this?”