ISLAMABAD: National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq has said that he does not see the assembly completing its tenure as “what’s happening now has never been witnessed before”. “I am not an astrologer… I hope it [the National Assembly] completes its constitutional term but I don’t foresee it happening,” he told a news channel when asked about the assembly completing its five-year tenure. “I feel something is about to happen… things are drastically different from 2002 and 2008.”
He was referring to the continuing political saga in the country following the ‘botched’ Faizabad crackdown as well as the situation arising after the release of the Model Town inquiry report. While the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has called for early elections, the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have demanded resignations of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for their alleged involvement in the Model Town tragedy, in which 14 PAT workers were killed in June 2014.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after concluding OIC extraordinary summit in Istanbul on Wednesday reached London to meet former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Minister for Foreign Affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif will hold important meetings with former PM Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in London.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in London to look after his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz, who is suffering from cancer and has been visiting hospitals for regular checkups. Former Prime Minister’s daughter Maryam Nawaz is also in London along with her family and looking after her ailing mother. Both Nawaz Sharif and his daughter have left for London on December 5 via Doha in a private airline.
Published in Daily Times, December 14th 2017.