LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) over calls to change leader of the opposition in the Lower House of parliament.
The PPP chairman said such moves will pose a danger to the stability of the parliament and were not a good omen for the supremacy of the Lower House.
He alleged that though PTI and MQM-P were part of parliament, they had been damaging the House by their actions. “PTI and MQM are being run via remote control,” he said, adding that the two political parties are busy conspiring against the system.
Referring to the powers vested in the opposition leader with regards to the installation of caretaker government and appointment of NAB chairman, Bilawal said no one can take those powers away from the leader of the opposition.
On Tuesday, a delegation of PTI comprising Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and others met the leaders of the MQM-P. The leaders of the two parties mulled over the possibility of replacing PPP’s Khursheed Shah as leader of the opposition in National Assembly.
After the meeting, MQM-P chief Farooq Sattar had said that his party supported the PTI proposal.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Shah Mehmood Qureshi had remarked, “We have no personal grievances against anyone. We respect Khursheed Shah. But we have started efforts to replace the opposition leader with senior member from our own party.”
Published in Daily Times, September 28th 2017.