PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the schedule of general elections forthwith to “remove doubts about the continuity of parliamentary system” in the country.

Addressing a news conference at the house of PPP provincial information secretary Amjad Afridi here, former Sindh information minister and head of the party’s digital media wing Sharjeel Inam Memon said the PPP was in favour of early elections to let the party with public support run the country.

“Election schedule should come as soon as possible. PPP is not running away from elections like other parties,” he said without naming names.

He claimed that in the prevailing situation, only the PPP had solutions to all problems.

Memon says PPP not running away from polls like others

Mr Memon said the PPP had the credit to launch the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project and many other development projects in the country.

He said his was the only political party that always fought for the strengthening of democracy in the country but never clashed with state institutions.

Accompanied by PPP leaders Amjad Afridi, Humayun Khan, Gohar Inqilabi and others, the former minister said there was a need for giving hope to the people in the current situation and that leadership with positive thinking should be brought forward to steer the country out of the economic crisis.

Criticising Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf indirectly, he wondered what those who ruled in KP for the last 10 years did for the province.

He said his party always addressed the deprivation of the people and never promoted the “politics of hatred and fighting.”

Referring to the problems faced by flood victims in Sindh, Mr Memon claimed that his former provincial government had initiated construction work on one million houses for the calamity-hit people across the province.

He said PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was a new hope for the nation as he managed to improve relations with all countries through excellent foreign policy.

The former minister said only the People’s Party had the ability to resolve the country’s problems.

He said PPP leader Asif Zardari was the only president of the country who gave his powers to parliament and did a lot for the welfare of the downtrodden people.

Mr Memon said his party had good relations with all state institutions. He said the security establishment was not supporting any political party and it was neutral.

“No political party should even look at the establishment. In 2018, I also contested elections from the jail. Imran Khan is in jail because of his actions and not for political reasons. We did not tell Imran Khan to burn and surround Peshawar,” he said.

The PPP leader said his party’s leaders always faced investigations and cases but never fought with state institutions.

He said the list of Imran Khan’s “sins” was not short but the former prime minister was being tried to become a political martyr.

Mr Memon demanded accountability of former chief minister Pervez Khattak saying that Mr Khattak or any other person should face the cases in the courts of law instead of getting a clean chit from authorities.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2023