Govt must do soul-searching, says Aitzaz

ISLAMABAD: All opposition parties are standing behind the Constitution in order to save democracy, said Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan during the joint session of the Parliament on Tuesday. Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid moved a motion to discuss the prevailing political situation, with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chairing the session.

“PM Nawaz, we want to assure you that despite the small group that is protesting in the federal capital, we are standing by you,” Ahsan said. “We are supporting you because you support democracy but once this difficult time is over, we will continue criticising your policies.”

“The opposition is standing by you to save democracy, there is no instance of such support in the past,” he said. “PM Nawaz, once you are through these trying times, you have to sit and think who your real friends are. Your ministers don’t take matters seriously,” Aitzaz said, referring to his ministers using harsh language against their opponents. He urged the ruling party to “do some soul-searching”.

The PPP leader revealed that there is ‘pressure from within the party against its support for the government’. In the first half of his speech, which was loaded with criticism for the government, Ahsan said it was unfortunate that the allegations about electoral rigging were true. “They have a valid point. There was massive rigging in the elections; there is substance in Imran’s claims of corruption,” he asserted. He added that the government should have filed an FIR against the culprits of the Model Town incident in June.

The PPP leader called on the PM to remain firm in his resolve not to resign from office, saying no one can force him to do so. “Yesterday, you said you would not resign. You had said the same thing in the past but then you resigned; I hope you will stick to your words this time,” said Aitzaz, referring to Nawaz’s forced resignation in 1993. “Today, the police are not listening to you due to the discrepancies in your past policies,” said Aitzaz.

Talking about the protesters he appreciated the government’s treatment of the issue. “If the protesters were allowed to come this close to key institutions, what if another group comes and calls for actions against minorities and demands the imposition of their version of Islam?” he asked.

“Where in the world or on which planet do you take on stick-wielding, armed protesters carrying cutters and expect not to be stopped,” he said, questioning Imran Khan’s repeated references to the treatment of protests held outside key government institutions all over the world including 10 Downing Street and the White House.

He added that the low turnout at the sit-ins proved that the people ‘have rejected’ the long marches held by PAT and PTI. Making a jibe at the PAT and PTI leaders, he said, “Benazir Bhutto always led the protests from the front; she would put herself in front of baton-holding police.”


Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2014.