PESHAWAR - Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Liaqat Baloch has said that the political party in majority reserves the right to have its member chosen as the opposition leader.

“Division among opposition parties will only benefit the government. If PTI Chairman Imran Khan becomes the opposition leader, it will make him attend the Assembly meetings regularly,” he said.

He was speaking at a news conference here at the JI provincial headquarters on Friday. Both the PPP and the PTI had formally contacted the JI over the issue of opposition leader in the National Assembly, he revealed.

The JI leader said, “The opposition leader is the right of that party which has a majority in the National Assembly.”   

Everything will be clear on October 3rd as how to change the leader of the opposition, Liaqat Baloch said.

Baloch added in the prevailing situation, the job of being the leader of the opposition has too much importance.

The incumbent Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif proved that he is ‘inexperienced’. He was of the view that time had come to decide not to be enslaved of the US anymore.

The JI general secretary urged upon the government to call a joint meeting of the Parliament so that to discuss Pakistan’s foreign policy, the emerging regional situation and other important matters related to the country as well.

A lot of cases are pending with the NAB. All that cases be decided soon as corruption would not end following the recent verdict against one family, he said adding this process should not stop at the decision against Sharif family.

On the issue of corruption, the JI had decided to knock at the door of the apex court again, he vowed that corruption is the root cause of all evils.  Under the Constitution, corrupt people could neither become party heads nor do they rule the country.

Baloch said that prior to the upcoming general elections; two major decisions would have to be made, one about the next caretaker setup and second is the appointment of NAB chairman.

At this stage, when there are a few months left in the tenure of the incumbent government, the demand of holding early elections in the country was not an appropriate suggestion, he opined.

Baloch claimed that the JI would win the by-election of NA-4, Peshawar-IV, as the JI’s workers have expedited3 door-to-door drive in the constituency.

SAID ALAM KHAN