LAHORE - Dispelling the impression that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) agrees with the anti-state speeches Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders delivered at the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) public meeting in Gujranwala, senior PPP leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has said that the party has nothing to do with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s views about the country’s establishment. “PPP does not believe in adventurism and has always had moderate views about the national institutions,” Aitzaz said while speaking at a television talk show on Saturday night. He said although the PPP had many reservations over role of the establishment in ending PPP governments in the past, still it did not believe in maligning the national institutions.

“On low turnout at the PDM’s first public meeting, the veteran PPP leader said the number of people did not matter, adding that sit-ins and protests were a democratic right, but these could not topple governments.

About Nawaz Sharif, he said: “Personally, I am disgusted by the political ideas and past of the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who has been brought up in the lap of dictatorship, but he always forgets his past while speaking.” He said that Nawaz Sharif had no sense of time and space, adding that he served as the chief minister of Punjab during General Zia-ul-Haq martial law in 1985 and always used crutches to reach corridors of power.

“Nawaz Sharif has a tainted political past, and he tried to become the prime minister in 1988 through treachery despite being the head of a minority party. He maneuvered a no-confidence move against the PPP government and abducted our MNAs like Rasheed Bhatti and Father Jacob as the chief minister Punjab,” he said, and added, “Nawaz Sharif, with the help of the then DG ISI General Hameed Gull, formed the IJI against the PPP in the 1990 elections.” To a question, the former federal law minister said that Nawaz Sharif was an unreliable friend who could stab his benefactors in the back any time, adding that he had been hatching conspiracies against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Aitzaz Ahsan said Nawaz Shairf had been guilty of using derogatory language against Benazir Bhutto.

 He said despite signing the Charter of Democracy (CoD) with the PPP after his return from exile in Saudi Arabia, Nawaz filed a Memogate case against the PPP in connivance with the then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for political gains.

Aitzaz regretted that the PDM’s public meeting was held in the neighbourhood of Indian held Kashmir, and nobody talked about Kashmir except for PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman mentioned Kashmir only after Bilawal’s speech. He said Bilawal spoke with clarity.

About Nawaz Sharif’s criticism of Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the PDM’s public meeting, the PPP leader said Nawaz had been guilty of appointing junior generals like General Pervaiz Musharraf as army chiefs in the past, adding that Nawaz always appointed army chiefs with bad intentions and this act spoiled civilian-army relations.