Shutdown call: PPP will not hinder PTI Karachi protest,says Khursheed Shah

Leader of Opposition in NA says will also ask MQM to do the same

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said on Thursday that PTI needs a safe passage, as Imran Khan has started realising that he cannot continue his sit-in for another three years.

Talking to a group of reporters in his chamber, the PPP leader said that the willingness of PTI’s top leadership for talks with the government was manifestation of this realisation.

The PML-N government and protesting PTI have already decided to resume the stalled dialogue. However, PTI at the same time wants to go with its plan-C, under which it announced schedule for protests in different cities and finally a countrywide strike call on December 18.

PTI has called for a strike in Karachi. Leader of Opposition said that PPP government in Sindh and its workers in Karachi will not create any hurdle in PTI’s protests in the mega city today. “We will also ask MQM to do the same,” he remarked.

However, he said it would have been better if PTI had called off its protest calls after it has decided to resume dialogue with federal government.



One PTI worker was killed during clashes between PTI and PML-N workers on December 8, when Imran’s party tried to shut down Faisalabad, a traditional stronghold of the ruling party.

While extending olive branch to PTI by announcing that his party would give the protestors free hand in Karachi, the astute PPP politician also criticised the agenda Imran Khan was taking up in Karachi.

“Imran Khan can hold protest anywhere in Karachi. It would have been better if he had gone there with issues of common man on his agenda instead of asking the people to make him prime minister,” he remarked.

The PPP leader said MQM should send Altaf Hussain to parliament by nominating him senator in the upcoming elections of upper house of parliament scheduled in March next year.

“We would request Altaf bhai’s party to nominate him for Senate. Allah Almighty will protect Altaf Bhai.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2014.