United opposition: ‘Political situation likely to change in 10 days’

Dost Khosa says discussions about democracy have become a joke

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

Former chief minister Dost Muhammad Khosa said on Friday that a significant political change was likely in the next 10 days.

Talking to newsmen, he said the state of affairs in the country were dismal. He said it seemed as if Pakistan Army was running the country. He said backdoor deals between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had led to the former losing support in Sindh and the latter in the Punjab.

He said the people had had enough of governments of PPP and the PML-N. “A united Muslim League is on the cards. It will be led by senior politicians and include the youth,” he said. Khosa said the party would be open to people from all segments of the society. “This would be the party that will realise the vision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” he said.

He said the return of Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s Dr Tahirul Qadri, the prime minister’s tour abroad and the ruling by the judicial commission on election rigging in the next 10 days could change the political climate. “The prime minister may face grave problems on his return,” Khosa said.

Khosa said the formation of United Muslim League would be formally announced soon. He said its core members had already been assigned duties.

He said the party leaders were in contact with Qadri and other political and religious leaders of the country.

He said discussions about democracy in the country had become a joke. “The government has a huge mandate but it has failed to deliver on its election campaign promises,” he said.

Khosa said it was unfortunate that the prime minister had turned a deaf ear to several requests for invoking governor’s rule in Sindh.

Commenting on his differences with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, he said it hurt him that Shahbaz had ignored his requests to raise quota for admissions of medical students from Dera Ghazi Khan in public universities.

He said those who had abandoned the Khosa group were opportunists. “Those who have joined hands with us are true ideologues of the Muslim League envisioned by Jinnah,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2015.