LAHORE - Although the opposition parties of the parliament are unanimous on the point of a joint move against the government over the Panama leaks, only PPP has given a conditional signal to join the Islamabad shutdown call after Muharram.
Imran Khan has given a deadline to the prime minister till the end of Muharram to present himself for accountability against the Panama leaks allegations, failing which his party will shut down Islamabad and not let him stay in power.
PPP Secretary General Latif Khosa, talking to The Nation yesterday, said, “PPP can become part of PTI’s shutdown call for Islamabad after Muharram if Imran Khan announces a date with the consent of the opposition parties and devise a joint strategy with them.”
“The ruling party and the prime minister are running shot of options and they will have to face the issue of Panama leaks. Imran Khan has every right to launch an agitation in Islamabad if the ruling party doesn’t listen to his demand which is the joint voice of the opposition,” he added.
However, Khan should seriously ponder upon launching a joint move in Islamabad instead of a solo flight, advised the PPP leader to PTI.
The government has to accept all the demands of the opposition submitted in the Senate in the form of a bill regarding Panama leaks investigations by the PPP on behalf of the opposition.
Aitzaz Ahsan was the lead architect of the bill. Imran too should express some political maturity over the issue of the Panama leaks campaign as PPP wants all opposition parties on board, observed Khosa.
Jamaat-i-Islami senior leader Ameer-ul-Azeem, in a brief comment, said, “Imran Khan organised a good show at Raiwind. JI leadership couldn’t take part in it because it was busy in its own accountability campaign in Faisalabad the same day.”
“No single opposition party can get the desired results to pursue the campaign of across-the-board accountability. Political parties which think that they have no corrupt people among their ranks should sit together and devise a joint strategy to launch a massive accountability drive,” proposed the JI leader.
PAT which is a non-parliamentary opposition party thinks that they would wait till the deadline of Imran Khan to the ruling party ends. “Let’s see what the PTI can do in Islamabad and whether they have the capacity to shut down the federal capital or not,” Noorullah Siddiqui, the PAT spokesman, said, explaining his party’s position. He added, “Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is returning home this month and launch efforts afresh to gather all the opposition and other likeminded political parties at a single platform for a joint move against the government over the Panama leaks and justice for the Model Town victims.”
PAT and PTI alone could not achieve the desired results against the government, so all the opposition parties should join hands, he added.
No leader or spokesman for the PML-Q which is a party of the opposition in the parliament was available for comments on the fresh warning of Khan to the ruling party over the matter of the Panama leaks which carries the threat of shutting down the federal capital after Muharram.
However, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had said on the announcement of the Raiwind protest of PTI that it would not be appropriate to launch an agitation in front of anybody’s home and his party would not become part of any such plan.