LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Sunday reiterated his party’s stance that a commission be set up to investigate the loans extended to Pakistan since 1999 instead of the last 10 years of civilian governments alone.

Speaking to the media after a meeting at his residence where he formally handed over party ticket to Khair Mohammed Shaikh for the slot of the Larkana mayor.

Mr Khuhro pointed out that during its less than a year’s tenure, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had obtained Rs29 billion loans. PTI had allegedly received $3 million foreign funding in 2014 and case in this regard was still under scrutiny of a committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan, he added. He claimed that the PTI was applying dilly delaying tactics as it was not ready to provide details of relevant bank transactions to the committee. Therefore, he said, a fresh investigation into the matter must be held.

“When a commission can be formed to investigate the loans obtained by civilian governments over the last 10 years, then what prevents the PTI-led government from including the [General Pervez] Musharraf era in the probe?” he asked.

Mr Khuhro insisted that it would be the PTI government’s biased attitude if it did not include the Musharraf-era loans in the probe. He said his party would welcome an across the board investigation. “We believe in the continuity of democracy in the country and do not want it to be derailed, but we are not against an in-house change,” he clarified.

In reply to a question about talk of the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Sindh, the senior PPP leader said it was almost impossible to thrust Governor’s Rule upon any province in the wake of the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

He explained that such an step could be taken only after the provincial assembly concerned passed a resolution requesting the federal government to intervene. “If Sindh Governor Imran Ismail is dreaming such things, he should better go through the Constitution to find out that there was no 58 2(B) there any more,” he remarked.

He declared that PPP leaders would not evade arrest; rather they were braving the situation by not fleeing the country as the party had experienced such things in the past as well.

Mr Khuhro made it clear to the PTI government that despite all odds, the PPP would not compromise on its principled stand on the 18th Amendment, anti-people budget and soaring prices of common commodities.

He accused the PTI-led government of weakening provincial autonomy and said that it did not believe in federal parliamentary system.

He was critical of the prime minister’s directive to the National Assembly speaker against issuing production orders of any parliamentarian. “It tantamount to dictating the speaker,” he said, adding that the issuance [PPP co-chairman] Asif Ali Zardari might have been a bitter pill for the PM to swallow.

Regarding the federal budget, the PPP leader remarked: “What more is left for the government to levy tax on? Perhaps, it’s contemplating to impose tax on breathing”. The multiple taxes had drastically affected society, he observed.

Turing to the opposition parties’ plan to launch a campaign against the PTI government’s “anti-people” policies, Mr Khuhro hinted at broadening the scope of protests to the entire country.

He said the multi-party conference being held on June 26 would further discuss and decide about both the strategy and time-frame to move forward in this direction.

If the [PTI] government stepped down in the event of the movement, this would be better for the masses and they would be happy to see such a thing happening, he believed.

About the Ghotki by-election, he reiterated PPP’s stance that the recent visit to the constituency by the prime minister, federal ministers and Sindh governor after announcement of the schedule amounted to influencing the elections. “But the issuance of notices by the ECP is merely an eyewash,” he remarked. He insisted that if the ECP was independent, it should initiate action against them.

Referring to the moves of putting Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif behind bars, branding PTM traitor, instituting references against SC Judge Qazi Faez Isa and pushing up prices of commodities and other articles made him [Mr Khurho] to believe that certain forces wanted to see the opposition parties, lawyer fraternity and masses take to the streets so that the system was disturbed and finally rolled back.

He advised Prime Minster Imran Khan to quit if he could not run the country instead of continuing to worsen the situation with his policies.

He categorically stated said PPP did not seek NRO as it was very much there to face cases.

Abdul Fatah Bhutto, Nooruddin Abro, Shakeel Memon and other PPP leaders as well as chairmen and councillors of various UCs of Larkana were also present.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2019