Prescient observation?: PTI will not be able to sustain momentum for long, says PPP
Wattoo urges government to solve political stand off through negotiations.
LAHORE:
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said on Sunday that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) would struggle to mobilise the people after its November 30 rally in Islamabad.
In a statement issued on Sunday Wattoo ruled out the possibility of ousting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML) by staging sit-ins. He said the PTI would soon find it difficult to sustain the momentum of its campaign against the government. He said the popularity of the party would start declining over time.
Wattoo said the PTI’s recent rally in Larkana had had a limited impact as the PPP was still the pre-eminent political force in Sindh. He said Khan was destined for political wilderness as he had alienated politicians across the spectrum and his recent comments regarding the media would prove to be his undoing.
He urged the government to resolve the political stand-off through negotiation. Wattoo said the PML-N’s obstinacy had compromised Pakistan’s international standing and had damaged the national economy. He said the PPP had opposed efforts to forcibly remove the government before the completion of its tenure as that would be a violation of the Constitution.
Wattoo said the PPP’s opposition to such ouster should not be construed as support for the government as the party was opposed to the government’s anti-poor policies. He said the PPP had always championed the cause of the downtrodden and the dispossessed.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2014.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said on Sunday that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) would struggle to mobilise the people after its November 30 rally in Islamabad.
In a statement issued on Sunday Wattoo ruled out the possibility of ousting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML) by staging sit-ins. He said the PTI would soon find it difficult to sustain the momentum of its campaign against the government. He said the popularity of the party would start declining over time.
Wattoo said the PTI’s recent rally in Larkana had had a limited impact as the PPP was still the pre-eminent political force in Sindh. He said Khan was destined for political wilderness as he had alienated politicians across the spectrum and his recent comments regarding the media would prove to be his undoing.
He urged the government to resolve the political stand-off through negotiation. Wattoo said the PML-N’s obstinacy had compromised Pakistan’s international standing and had damaged the national economy. He said the PPP had opposed efforts to forcibly remove the government before the completion of its tenure as that would be a violation of the Constitution.
Wattoo said the PPP’s opposition to such ouster should not be construed as support for the government as the party was opposed to the government’s anti-poor policies. He said the PPP had always championed the cause of the downtrodden and the dispossessed.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2014.