LAHORE: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) went into damage control mode on Thursday, following National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s pessimistic statement that the current assemblies may not serve out their full terms.
Prime
Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and senior party leaders scrambled to
explain the speaker’s concerns by contextualising his remarks in terms
of the upcoming Senate polls, as well as the conspiracies that they said
were being hatched against the government.
Speaking to
reporters in London, PM Abbasi was adamant that there was no threat to
the government and the assemblies would complete their term.
“I
do not see any threat to the government. Threats are always there, but
our government will have smooth sailing and an interim government will
be formed in June,” he said ahead of a meeting with key PML-N leaders,
including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his children Maryam and
Hassan Nawaz, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister
Khawaja Asif.
PM says Sadiq’s remarks about assemblies not completing term are ‘own opinions’; Senate chairman vows parliament will never surrender
The PM arrived in London from Turkey, and is expected to
raise key matters, such as the standoff on Fata reforms and the delay in
passing a new delimitation law.
Asked about Mr Sadiq’s
remarks, the PM termed them “his personal opinion”, adding that he was
ready to clear the speaker’s apprehensions, if he had any, APP reported.
A
private TV channel also quoted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as
saying that Pakistan was moving towards instability and the
circumstances prevailing in the country were “not satisfactory”.
He
regretted that the country, which had been on the path to progress, was
now moving towards instability after the July 28 Supreme Court
decision.
Khawaja Asif, who accompanied the PM to London, expressed the hope that the PML-N would sweep the next elections as well.
“The
whole system — the government, the democratic set-up and the Senate
polls — are facing serious threats from conspirators. Only Mr Sadiq can
explain his statement, but as far as conspiracies against this
government are concerned, they are in full swing and perhaps he was
referring to those,” former information minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid
told Dawn.
He also pointed to the “new protest plan” that
was aimed at paralysing the government, being hatched under the
leadership of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.
“He
has come from Canada to stage another sit-in on the pretext of seeking
justice for the Model Town incident; he even has the support of Imran
Khan, Sheikh Rashid and others,” Mr Rashid said, asking what kind of
‘special glue’ it took to bring these forces together whenever they were
needed. “Isn’t this a conspiracy against the system?”
He
also termed the stoking of religious sentiments and the airing of
corruption propaganda conspiracies against the ruling party. “Despite
all this, we and those who believe in democracy will continue our
struggle to save the democratic system, and hopefully parliament will
complete its tenure,” Mr Rashid said.
Even Climate Change
Minister and PML-N Information Secretary Mushahidullah Khan said it was
not necessary for the party to agree with Mr Sadiq’s statement.
“However, we will strongly resist any unconstitutional steps taken to
send the government packing before it has completed its term,” he said.
Another
senior PML-N leader from Punjab told Dawn: “Like other senior party
members, Mr Sadiq is aware of the threats to the government ahead of the
Senate elections, this is why he expressed his fears. There are also
reports that the elections may be delayed due to the lack of consensus
on the delimitation bill.”
He admitted there was growing
unrest within the party’s ranks, and it was widely held that something
was being cooked up against the government.
Interior
Minister Ahsan Iqbal had already predicted that any delay in the passage
of the delimitation bill could mean that the caretaker set-up would
persist “for a longer period”.
“A caretaker set-up that
goes beyond its constitutional limit of 90 days will be a recipe for
rigging and electoral interference,” the minister told Dawn a few days
ago.
In remarks aired on a private TV channel on
Wednesday, Mr Sadiq had said that though the continuity of the
democratic system was critical to ensuring the strength of institutions
in the country, he did not see the incumbent assemblies completing their
tenures.
“What is happening now has never been witnessed
before,” he said, but ruled out any possibility of a martial law being
imposed on the country.
Expressing concern over Ayaz
Sadiq’s views, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed
Shah said the speaker had laid bare the “inside story”, adding that the
situation “seemed suspicious” to him as well.
“The way
his party is under pressure to hold early elections — we can see how the
roads are being blocked and conflict is breaking out everywhere —
everyone understands the dangers that Pakistan is going through,” Mr
Shah told the media on Thursday.
“We should move forward
with our eyes open,” warned the opposition leader, saying that the
speaker had expressed such views because he had a “better sense and
understanding” of the situation.
On Thursday, the
speaker’s statement was taken up on the floor of the National Assembly
by MQM’s Kishwar Zehra. “Last night, the speaker painted a very negative
picture of current events. His words, read between the lines, have
caused unrest among the masses. The country was already faced with
despondency, but this statement has created complications. These remarks
need to be clarified.”
Responding to her concerns,
Sheikh Aftab Ahmed said that he had also heard the speaker’s comments.
“We will ask him to explain his remarks when he comes to the house
tomorrow,” the minister concluded.
The issued also echoed
in the upper house of parliament when MQM Senator Nighat Mirza remarked
that the speaker’s statement had shocked everyone and only added to the
prevailing despondency in the country. At this, Senate Chairman Rabbani
observed: “The speaker did not surrender. Parliament does not and will
not surrender.”
