Opposition stages sit-in at President’s door

 ISLAMABAD - Pledging to continue their struggle against corruption, loadshedding, deteriorating law and order and other issues, PML-N and other political parties on Thursday marched at the Constitutional Avenue and staged a symbolic sit-in in front of the Presidency.
The rally and sit-in call was given by PML-N while members of other opposition parties including PML-Q (Likeminded), JUI-F, MNA Nasir Shah of PPP and Tariq Azeem, the dissident member and Senator of PML-Q, joined the rally.
The rally, which started from the National Assembly was led by leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Ch Nisar Ali Khan, besides a number of PML-N workers standing outside the Parliament House also joined him and chanted anti-government and anti-Zardari slogans.
Addressing the gathering, Ch Nisar said the country had become a war zone as people were on the roads against loadshedding for the last three days but the President did not say even a single word for them and remained busy in the wheeling and dealing with PML-Q to strengthen his government.
“Today, we came here to tell President Zardari that people have given them the vote to solve their problems and not to play power games. There is no party siding with the government. In fact, these are with power. The government is isolated and this is a proof of its isolation that today President Zardari could not come out of his house,” he added.
Coming down hard on the President, the opposition leader said that Zardari used Sindh for his survival but when Sindh needed him he was in France. During the last year’s flood in Sindh he was in France and this year again he was abroad, he maintained.
Citing the remarks of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani about Imran Khan and dengue virus, he said it was an insensitive statement and he, as a PM should not use this natural tragedy (dengue) for point scoring.
Talking about the recent statement of Imran Khan regarding Punjab, he added that it was now clear that why ‘Inqalab Khan’ (Imran Khan) targeted the opposition parties rather than the government. He was of the view that Imran was helping Zardari in Punjab.
He said their struggle would continue, as it was not limited to only the issue of loadshedding. They have paid Rs 10 billion for energy production but how long they would produce electricity with that amount. He added that the country was facing foreign aggression, power loadshedding, gas management, insecurity and poor law and order situation.
Strongly criticising Rehman Malik, he said the peace did not prevail in Karachi due to the interior minister but the real credit for improvement in the situation went to Supreme Court.
President PML-Q (Likeminided) Salim Saifullah, addressing the participants of the rally, said the corruption and other public issues had brought the MNAs and senators out and every member of the parliament was a representative of millions of people.
Chairman PPPP-Sherpao Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said corruption, loadshedding and other issues had brought the people on roads and opposition was very much with them. “The whole opposition stands united with the people of Pakistan,” he said adding, the ruling PPP had lost sympathies of general public and would not be able to come out of their houses in next general elections. It is a start and will continue, Sherpao warned. He said the government would face public rejection in the next elections due to its wrong policies. He lamented that parliament’s decisions were not implemented.
Maulana Abdul Malik of JUI-F said government had failed to deliver peace and better economic conditions. Heavy loadshedding in the country was being observed and Presidency and Parliament lodges were also hit by the crisis. The neighbouring countries offered Pakistan to solve its electricity issue but the government did not entertain their offers, he said adding, the rally was a warning to the federal government and also a symbol of government’s removal.
Javed Hashmi of PML-N, addressing on the occasion, said the people had given the government a chance to prove itself but it had lost it. There was no government in Balochistan where the innocent people were being killed. There was no government in Sindh, too, where flood had ruined the lives of people. There was no government where dengue existed. The country needed a leadership, which could understand and address their issues, Hashmi commented.
“People have been saying to us to come out on the roads but we did not do it and said that we will not remove the government. We apologise to the nation over our party chief Nawaz Sharif’s statement that we will not help anyone to remove the government. Now the time has come, we are out on the roads on the voice of people and will not disappoint them. The struggle will continue,” Hashmi said.
Nasir Shah of ruling PPP said PML-N had expressed solidarity with him when he walked out from the Lower House against the killing of Hazara people in Balochistan and now he stood with PML-N to show solidarity with them.
He said the government had failed to bring peace, create jobs and curb inflation in the country. The son of prime minister was involved in Haj corruption scandal so the prime minister should morally bound to resign from the premiership slot, he asserted.
People were being killed in Balochistan and the prime minister was enjoying luxuries of life in the federal capital, he said while quoting the PM as having said that the killing of 14 people did not matter in the huge population of Balochistan.
He demanded of the government that the Governor’s rule be imposed in Balochistan and new election should be announced as people could choose their leaders for the solution of their issues.
Khawaja Saad Rafiq of PML-N, however, said that they could not let the President live peacefully unless he addressed the public problems and sufferings.