Daily Times

Awami National Party (ANP) leader and former Provincial Minister Wajid Ali Khan here on Tuesday said that Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf leaders were trying to hide their failures and unfilled promises behind hue and cry of the resignations from national assembly.

“The nation understands the double standard politics of PTI. When PTI was in power, the democracy and parliament was good for its rulers but when former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted after a successful no confidence motion by the joint opposition, then Imran Khan and his companions were raising fingers towards treasury benches, democracy and the parliament,” he told APP.

“The political forces primarily contest elections to reach the parliament, form government and implement their election manifestos rather to tender resignations,” he said.

He said Imran Khan’s government despite his over three and half years rule had neither honoured the promise of constructing five million houses nor provided 10 million jobs to people of Pakistan, adding, today the former premier was hiding face from people by taking shelter of resignations and alleged lettergate issue.

The ANP leader said that unemployment has significantly increased during PTI government’s tenure while prices of houses and residential plots witnessed substantial rise and now construction of a house remained merely a dream for hundreds of thousands of poor, underprivileged and salaried class.

Wajid Ali Khan said the much trumpeted billion trees afforestation project of the PTI government has been taken over by NAB that put a question mark on its transparency of the project.

He expressed the hope that PTI leaders would review their decisions regarding tendering of resignations from National Assembly and would support the newly elected government to address the daunting challenges of price hikes, inflation, poverty, fragile economy and repayment of heavy loans’ debts.

“Former prime minister Imran Khan instead to take parliament into confidence on the alleged lettergate issue, has trumpeted it for protecting its sagging image in eyes of public,” he said, adding the newly elected Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has adopted bold stand on lettergate.

Wajid Ali Khan said that illegal ruling of former deputy speaker National Assembly was declared unconstitutional by the five member bench of Supreme Court and later delaying tactics was used by the former Speaker NA by dragging the no confidence motion against ex PM Khan till mid night.

He said constitutional reforms and political stability was imperative for economic growth and strengthening of democratic institutions in Pakistan.

The ANP leader expressed the hope that PTI leadership would show political acumen and sit together with treasury benches to take the country out of existing challenges.