HYDERABAD: Sindh chapter president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Shah Mohammad Shah has said that the PML-N is committed to continuity of the democratic process despite reservations about the present government.

He also asked why suo motu notice was not taken against ‘religious extremists’ who used defamatory language against judges in the wake of Aasia Bibi’s acquittal while such notices against the PML-N legislators were taken within no time. He called for taking notice of such defamatory language of the protesters against judges.

Addressing a news conference at a local press club on Sunday in which local party leaders Jamal Arif Soharwardi, Qamar Zaman Rajpar, Kaleem Shaikh and others were present and advocate Ramesh Gupta from Jamshoro district, the PPP’s stronghold, announced joining the PML-N, Mr Shah said the government’s approaching to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or similar matters were irrelevant because the PTI government always took u-turns on serious matters.

“It is a government headed by Taliban Khan formed in the wake of rigged elections,” he claimed.

He said that the PML-N’s central executive committee had resolved that the party would not allow derailment of democratic process come what may.

He claimed that the elected prime minister was still conducting himself as if he was delivering speeches from the container of 2014.

He said that the people had seen the PTI leadership facilitating same religious extremists during the Faizabad sit-in during the PML-N government.

He also expressed concern over censorship on media and said that this was something not witnessed even during Zia’s martial law.

He said that journalists were being retrenched from newspapers and media houses and no one was raising their voice.

He said that the way prime minister spoke after Aasia Bibi’s acquittal judgment and criticised the opposition was unworthy of a sitting premier.

The PM should not always talk about offering container along with food to opposition if it were to protest against his government, he said.

He added that the entire country witnessed the government’s abject surrender to same extremists against whom the writ of the government was to be enforced.

He said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry should explain as to how a deal was signed with protesters.

“I will humbly ask why no suo motu notice is taken yet? Talal Chaudhry and Daniyal Aziz were, however, treated differently,” he said.

He condemned the assassination of Maulana Samiul Haq and urged the apex court to order investigation into the gruesome murder.

He feared that involvement of international mindset could be there because factors like Haqqani network and instability in Afghanistan should be kept in mind.

He expressed concern over poor economic conditions of Pakistan and said that such incidents could potentially affect it even further.

The PML-N was the party that had created Pakistan and it would like to see the country progressing instead of providing food to religious extremists during protests, he said.

Advocate Ramesh Gupta said that he had worked in nationalist parties as well from Jamshoro and had contested elections from there in 2013 against the PML-N candidate.

He said that people had dreamt about a change in Pakistan after 2018 polls but no such thing was seen yet. He said the PML-N was the party that believed in serious politics and real issues and that’s why its legislators were being “intimidated by anti-graft watchdogs like National Accountability Bureau”.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2018