ISLAMABAD - Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Monday they were in favour of dissolution of all the assemblies on the same day, but in case the government would not end its dubious manoeuvring about caretaker set-ups in Sindh and Balochistan to steal the public mandate, then the PML-N would not dissolve the Punjab Assembly with the rest of the assemblies.
Interacting with the media at Parliament House here, Nisar Khan said he would respond to the prime minister's letter on Tuesday (today) and would dispatch the three names of Justice (retired) Shakirullah Jan, Justice (retired) Nassir Salam Wahid and Sindhi nationalist leader Retool Box Vallejo, finalised by them in consultation with all the opposition parties.
To a question, he said the PML-N was in favour of elections to the national and provincial assemblies on the same day and would dissolve the Punjab Assembly with rest of the assemblies provided that the PPP-led coalition government would come up with neutral caretaker set-ups in Sindh and Balochistan.
Asked about the selection of Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh as caretaker prime minister under the influence of IMF, Nisar Khan made it loud and clear that only the political leadership of the country would decide about the caretaker prime minister and chief ministers in the province. No one having the backing of IMF or any other quarter could make his way to the office of caretaker premier, he asserted.
Nisar Khan, to another query, said the National Assembly speaker had no role but to notify the eight-member parliamentary committee to decide on the caretaker prime minister in case he would fail to reach a consensus with the prime minister on any name. He explained the opposition leader and leader of the House would forward four names each to the speaker for constitution of the committee and the speaker had no role, but to announce the committee comprising the names forwarded to her.
In response to another question, Nisar Khan said he would give due consideration in case the prime minister would send him some names from government's side for the slot, and expressed the hope that the matter would be resolved between the two.
The PML-N leader, however, said in case he would fail to evolve consensus with the prime minister on any one name, then a deadlock would persist in the parliamentary committee as well where both the sides would have four members each and ultimately the matter would go to the Election Commission of Pakistan, where the Chief Election Commissioner along with his four members would pick from the four names with the majority vote.
To a question about Tax Amnesty Bill Ch. Nisar Ali Khan said that they would resist its passage from the National Assembly and dubbed the consent of his party's members in the committee to the said bill as error of judgement or their ignorance on the matter.
He made it clear that they would not let the rulers allow the looters and plunderers of the national wealth to whiten their black money through this dubious bill and said that the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament had already came up with strong opposition to it and made it clear that they would not let it pass from the Senate.
To another question, Nisar Ali Khan said his party stood behind the Election Commission of Pakistan in all its endeavours in holding of elections in a free and transparent fashion.
He recalled it was the PML-N that had taken initiative to provide powers to the Election Commission of Pakistan, and would fully support any move to further strengthen its role in holding of elections in free and fair fashion.
To a volley of questions about the taking back of politicians who had been part of the dictatorial regime Nisar Ali Khan defended the decision of the party and even defended his party's alliance with the Jamiat-Ulema-Pakistan_Fazl, which remained part of the incumbent government for a long period, and said that there was no constitutional or legal bar on any political party from entering into alliance with different parties at different period of time.
The top PLM-N leader also expressed concern over the intimidation of members of a particular party in Bangladesh through tribunals, and said that the leaders and activists of this particular party are being targeted for the overt support to Pakistan.
He hoped the Bangladesh government should bury the past hatchet and would move forward with an open heart and open mind and people of Pakistan fully recognised the sovereignty of Bangladesh.