ISLAMABAD  -   Pakistan People’s Party on Thursday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government had miserably failed to fulfil expectations of the masses.

Speaking at a joint news conference here, PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and General Secretary PPP Punjab Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed warned the government not to use institutions to fulfil personal vendettas.

Bukhari said that the Labour Union was not responsible for the destruction of the Pakistan International Airlines and should not be held responsible.

The government has paved way for removal of the trade union from the World Trade Organisation and GP Plus by banning it.

President PPP Unity Hidayatullah Khan, Ramazan Laghari, Sohail Mukhtar and Mansoor Dhilon also attended the news conference.

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Manzoor Ahmed said that the government was willing to pay Rs2 million to the legal advisors for PIA but no new planes were being purchased.

They said that it was crystal clear that former President Asif Ali Zardari was being targeted for the 18th Amendment because it removed the leftover scars of dictatorship that were present since 1977.

Bukhari said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was toying with foundations of the country. He said that there was news circulating regarding the reversal of the 18th Amendment which was alarming as these are advancements towards stripping the nation off of its democratic rights.

“The PPP will never tolerate these advances that are being made to abolish the 18th Amendment as it is PPP’s policy to stand for the rights of the people,” he said.

Bukhari said that PPP will always condemn the steps that are being taken to reverse the progress of the peoples’ liberties.

Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik has written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, demanding him on the behalf of the Committee the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the matter of killing of 4 people by a team of Counter-Terrorism Department near Sahiwal on January 19.

In his letter, Senator Malik said: “I would like to state that consequent to a media report regarding killing of 4 persons by a team of CTD officials near Sahiwal on 19 January 2019, the Senate Standing Committee on Interior while taking serious notice of the incident, requested the Ministry of Interior on January 20 to provide information on the incident. Thereafter, this matter was again taken up by the Committee in its meeting held on 21st January 2019 and the recommendations of the Committee were submitted to the Chairman Senate to be placed before the House.”

He added: “On 21st January 2019, however, Senator Javed Abbasi raised the matter on point of public importance in the House regarding killing of 4 persons by a team of CTD officials near Sahiwal on 19th January. The Chairman Senate, keeping in view the discussions in the House and the letter submitted by the Committee in the matter, announced his ruling of the chair in the Senate.”

Rejecting the Joint Investigation Team formed by Punjab government on Sahiwal incident, Senator Malik wrote: “The Senate Standing Committee on Interior in pursuance of the ruling of the Chairman Senate called a meeting on 25th January to discuss the matter and consequently the Committee unanimously rejected the JIT, constituted by the government of Punjab, to probe the incident.”

The lawmaker said: “The Senate Standing Committee on Interior also heard the family members of the victims of Sahiwal incident on 29th January who overwhelmingly expressed their serious reservations and non-confidence in the JIT constituted by the Government of Punjab to probe the Sahiwal incident.”

He wrote that the Committee, after detailed deliberations and discussions in its consecutive 3 meetings, was unanimous in its views that all the stakeholders and victim families have shown no confidence in JIT; hence it would be appropriate to adopt an impartial and transparent alternate course to unearth facts and circumstances leading to the action of the CTD.  He added that the Committee was of the view that these objectives could only be achieved through probe by a Judicial Commission.

While reinforcing the committee demand of formation of judicial commission, Senator Malik demanded that it was requested that a judicial commission as desired by the Committee may kindly be constituted immediately and notified in the larger interest of natural justice.

Earlier, Senator Malik presented the Interim Report of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior regarding the killing of four people by CTD officials near Sahiwal and the Interim Report was laid down before the House.