‘Onus for the impasse rests on government’

Wattoo says antics of PTI, PAT activists unconstitutional and illegal.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo on Wednesday praised Senator Aitezaz Ahsan for articulating the party’s position on several issues eloquently during the joint session of the parliament.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) activists could not be allowed to indulge in anti-state, unconstitutional and undemocratic activities despite the government’s incompetence and its mishandling of the June 17 Model Town violence. Wattoo said the parliament had unequivocally reiterated its commitment to preserving the Constitution and democracy. On the other hand, the government had been given a strong message about improving its performance, treating the opposition with due deference and preserving the sanctity of the parliament.

He said the PAT and the PTI could not be allowed to stage prolonged protest demonstrations and desecrate state institutions till the veracity of their demands had been authenticated. Wattoo said the antics of the PTI and the PAT activists were illegal and unconstitutional. He said they had disregarded the instructions of the Supreme Court to vacate the Constitutional Avenue.

Wattoo rhetorically asked who they were trying to please.  He said the political situation would have been different if the government had avoided employing brute force to quell protesters during the Model Town violence. Wattoo said the fact that the government had secured the first position in governance according to the results of a recent poll paled in view of the 14 bodies of PAT workers.

He said the political situation in the country had brought Pakistan to its knees and was a consequence of the government’s inept handling of the Model Town incident. Wattoo said he agreed with the views of many speakers in the parliament who had pointed out that the government should ideally strive to address the problems of the public through good governance and better service delivery rather than solely focusing on staying in office. He said rising inflation, poverty, unemployment, load-shedding and the worsening law and order situation had frustrated the public.

Wattoo said Sharif’s vows of eradicating load-shedding in months instead of years had led the public to the tipping point and their protest demonstrations against the government were not without misplaced. He said the chief minister used to encourage the public to protest against the previous government regarding the issue with false promises. Wattoo said he was facing the music for his actions. He said politicians should avoid making false promises at election rallies.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2014.