KARACHI - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have renewed their commitment to adhere to democratic principles in the light of the Charter of Democracy (CoD), signed between Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif fourteen years ago.

Both the parties stressed that the 1973 Constitution should be implemented in letter and spirit, as the constitution was the only way forward to a brighter future for Pakistan.

Leader of Opposition in National Assembly and PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif visited Bilawal House and met former President Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Zubair, Maryam Aurangzeb and other leaders also accompanied Shahbaz Sharif, while Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Farhatullah Babar, Syed Naveed Qamar, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Syed Waqar Mehdi, Aajiz Dhamrah from PPP were also present in the meeting.

Leadership of the two parties discussed the overall political situation in the country, the aftermath of the worst monsoon rains and flooding and the difficulties faced by the people.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that it was important for political parties to take realistic measures to address climate stress and the extreme weather that it had unleashed all over Pakistan, including Karachi. He stated that political parties had to put their differences aside and should not treat calamities as a platform for political point-scoring.

He said that people were looking for relief, from the collapse of governance, serial load-shedding, crippling inflation and an alarming lack of clarity about stated goals on foreign policy, rising debt, misuse of Parliament and the abuse of fundamental rights.

At the meeting, the leadership of both the parties agreed that they would work together for the supremacy of the Constitution and the Parliament, for free judiciary and free media; the protection of the democratic process and the protection of the constitutional and democratic rights of the people.

Top opposition leaders of the country were unanimous that all the constitutional options would be used to get rid of the incumbent ineligible government, as the failures and incompetence of this government had become a torment for the country and the people. Both the parties strongly condemned the current government’s actions under the garb of accountability as political revenge.

A joint post-meeting press conference was addressed by Farhatullah Babar, Syed Naveed Qamar, Ahsan Iqbal, Marium Orangzaib and Aajiz Dhamrah. Naveed Qamar said that he was grateful to the Leader of the Opposition, who had come to show solidarity during the testing times.

PPP and PML-N leaders said that this was not a moment to criticise but for mutual cooperation, instead. A meeting of the Rehbar Committee of the Opposition Parties would be held tomorrow, followed by an All Parties Conference (APC), added Naveed Qamar.

Ahsan Iqbal said that the Federal government should have announced a serious aid package to support the rain-hit economy in Sindh in consultation with the provincial government. “This PTI government has disrupted politics, failed the governance and destroyed the economy of the country,” he said.

Farhatullah Khan Babar pointed out media reports against the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister adding that the allegations made in it were very serious and should be investigated at the highest level. It was surprising that the government, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister himself were silent after the news came to light, he added.

Former Senator said that the issue of missing persons was becoming highly serious, whereas it started from the time of Musharraf adding that the Opposition rejected a legislation piece, which was aimed at legalizing the enforced disappearances.