Daily Times

LAHORE: Opposition politicians eyeing at the race for premiership following next year’s general elections are a hurdle in the formation of a grand opposition alliance against the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at the moment.

Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said this in a statement released by the Muslim League House on Thursday.

He said that consultations among major opposition parties were underway and were expected to yield positive results with progress in the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) proceedings in the Panama Papers case.

Hussain said the ruling party was using highhanded tactics with the JIT treating it as an ordinary investigation team. He said the JIT had been constituted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and was working under the SC’s directions.

Referring to the SC’s April 20 verdict in the Panama Papers petitions, Hussain said the two judges who wrote the dissenting note had ruled in support of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification.

The two judges deemed Sharif ineligible for his membership of the Parliament for being dishonest in the matter of Parklane Flats and other offshore properties of his family.

Commenting on his ties with other opposition parties, the PML-Q head and veteran politician said that he enjoyed very good relations with opposition leaders especially Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.

Asked who stood a chance to form government and hold the office of the prime minister in 2018, he said Allah Almighty knew the best.

It is pertinent to mention here that all mainstream opposition parties including Pakistan People’s Party, PTI and PML-Q had political heavyweights in their ranks who would be in the running for premiership following next year’s general elections.

Published in Daily Times, June 23rd, 2017.