PTI to form grand Opp alliance to oust PML-N govt

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced formation of a grand alliance of the opposition parties to oust the PML-N government. It was stated by Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub on Thursday.

He was addressing a press conference after meeting PTI founder Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. “We’ll hold a huge rally at Swabi on Aug 5 on the direction of Imran Khan,” said Omar Ayub. He added that the incumbent government wanted to widen the gulf between the public and our national institutions.

He was of the view that the PML-N leadership came back to Pakistan as a result of an NRO. “Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan when the chief justice was changed,” said the opposition leader. He also came down hard on the government for keeping Bushra Bibi in jail without any crime.

He added that the western countries were silent over the atrocities of Israeli forces in Palestine. Former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that the grand alliance would be made during the next two weeks. “We’ll consult all the political parties of the opposition to form the grand alliance,” said Qaiser.

This country would be run according to the law and constitution, he said. Imran also urged the international community to take effective steps to ensure peace in Palestine and stop Israeli brutalities in Gaza, said Omar.

Responding to criticism against the PTI founder for demanding negotiations, the politico said that they did not hold any discussion regarding the dialogue, however, he added that Imran made it clear that the military belongs to the nation and vice versa. He further said that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were trying to drive a wedge between the military and the nation.

Regarding cases against the jailed ex-prime minister, the opposition leader said that they were fighting a legal battle for Imran’s release. He blamed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for stopping the release of former first lady Bushra Bibi despite having no connections with the Toshakhana case. The PTI secretary general demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq to recuse themselves from hearing the PTI founder’s cases.

The 71-year-old PTI founding chairman has been in prison for almost a year after he was booked in a plethora of cases, including the Toshakhana, cipher, and the un-Islamic marriage. His wife, Bushra, has also been behind bars for months. However, a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, respectively.

While there were hopes for Imran and Bushra’s release in July, they were dashed when NAB arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts. The chances of Imran’s release from jail further dimmed after he was arrested in new cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots, following his acquittal in the iddat case.

Referring to the unending cycle of Imran’s release and detention, Ayub also stressed that the “justice system should serve justice to the PTI founder”. He further alleged that ex-premier Nawaz Sharif ended his exile after “getting an NRO” and returned to the country after Justice Isa became the CJP. The politico claimed that the PML-N president did not dare to return when Umar Ata Bandial was holding the position of chief justice.

To a question regarding exorbitant electricity bills, the former power minister directly blamed the former governments of the PML-N and the PPP for approving expensive power plants and signing contracts with the independent power producers (IPPs) which resulted in bloated power bills. Reacting to the press conference, PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry hit back at the opposition party saying no matter how many alliances PTI formed, they would face the law for the alleged wrongdoings.

Throwing shade at the PTI leadership, Chaudhry said: “Alliances would not save them from punishments.” He added that the former ruling party should do politics on public issues but they indulged in maligning state institutions despite “writing a letter promising not to run [smear] campaigns against the institutions”.