Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said that he expected the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to offer parliament a “plausible” explanation for Shehbaz Sharif’s “shocking” decision to step down as the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) chairman and his party’s parliamentary leader.

“As the deputy parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) […] I expect that the PML-N will give plausible answers to all the questions [that have risen from Shehbaz’s decision] during Monday’s sitting of the parliament,” he said in a press conference in Islamabad.

He declared that the PTI was “not bound to accept this (PML-N’s) decision” and would sit down and talk with other parties.

“The PML-N has the authority to decide which worker they want to promote […] it is their internal matter,” Qureshi told the media. “But some decisions are not just limited to their party. They are related to parliament and can become a problem for all of us. For example, their decision to change [their] parliamentary leader.”

Foreign minister says PTI not bound to accept the decision, will discuss it with other parties

The PML-N had announced in its parliamentary meeting the other day the party’s decision to nominate Rana Tanvir as the PAC chairman and Khawaja Asif as the parliamentary leader.

Qureshi, in Friday’s presser, recalled that the recent reshuffle in the federal cabinet had sparked many questions and speculations even though such changes “are normal in a democracy”. He wondered if the PML-N would think it appropriate to tell parliament the reasons for this “sudden change”.

“Even senior PML-N leaders were caught unawares [by this decision]. The [PML-N] parliamentary party is in shock. Except for the ‘gang of four’, nobody knew about this,” he added.

The foreign minister said that the National Assembly speaker had recently formed a parliamentary committee for national security, and now it was uncertain whether Shehbaz would be on the panel.

Says recent developments have given way to speculations that a deal has been reached

These developments, Qureshi added, had given way to “speculations” that a deal had been reached. “Maybe none of [these speculations] are true. I don’t know.”

He added that if the PML-N tried to cover up a deal, it would eventually come to light. When asked if anyone, apart from the government, could offer a deal, Qureshi said, “These are legal matters. The cases are in courts and… you know better than me.”

The foreign minister further said that there were “rumours” that Shehbaz would step down as the leader of the opposition and nominate former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in his stead, even though the party had denied the reports.

Qureshi said that PML-N leaders had cited Shehbaz’s health as a reason behind his decision to step down as PAC chairman and parliamentary leader.

“If his health doesn’t allow him to be parliamentary leader of his party, how can it allow him to play the role of the opposition leader? Eventually, he will have to abandon that post as well. And if he doesn’t step down as opposition leader, why did he relinquish the other two roles? Yesterday’s decisions [of the PML-N] have attracted a lot of new questions.”

He harked back to the five-month deadlock over the appointment of the PAC chairman and said that at the time, it had been argued that the Charter of Democracy dictated that the role should be played by the opposition leader. “Rana Tanvir is not the opposition leader. Why doesn’t the Charter of Democracy apply here?” he asked.

The deadlock had persisted due to PTI’s reluctance to offer the role to Shehbaz, and PML-N’s refusal to nominate someone else.

He said that the PML-N’s move had also taken the PPP by surprise and that members of the latter had insisted that they were not taken into confidence. The foreign minister rubbished rumours regarding his differences with former finance minister Asad Umar, saying that such “tittle-tattle” was spread to feed the news cycle. He told journalists that he had met Umar earlier in the day.

Qureshi also explained that Umar was in Hunza when the PTI Foundation Day ceremony was held and, therefore, could not attend it.

“Asad Umar was, is and will remain part of the PTI. He is a precious asset of the PTI and no one can doubt his intelligence and honesty,” the foreign minister declared.

When asked why Jehangir Tareen was absent from the foundation day ceremony, Qureshi said that the former secretary general had to talk to the media in Lahore regarding the local body’s bill passed by the Punjab Assembly.

In response to a question regarding the cabinet reshuffling, Qureshi said that it was the prime minister’s prerogative to “adjust the batting order” when he sees fit.

The foreign minister termed rumours regarding the imposition of a presidential system and roll back of the 18th Amendment as “absurd”. “The constitution will have to be amended in order to impose a presidential system. Who will pass such an amendment? Does any [party] have a two-third majority?” he asked.

“Every single day we hear [someone saying] that they would not allow the rollback of the 18th Amendment. Stop worrying, no one is [rolling back the] 18th Amendment,” he said.

Qureshi said that despite New Delhi’s efforts, the resolution regarding the placement of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar on the United Nations’ global terror list had no mention of any Pakistani institution or the legitimate struggle of Indian-occupied Kashmir’s struggle for the right to self-determination.

“It is a clear victory of Pakistan,” he said. Qureshi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party was being criticised by the Indian media for failing to mention Pakistan in the resolution. As far as the demands to freeze Azhar’s assets and place an arms embargo over him were concerned, both measures were taken by Pakistan in 2005, he clarified.