LAHORE: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said on Saturday every institution, including the military, should operate within their constitutional limits.

Talking to the media outside an Anti-Terrorism Court here, he said the military, Frontier Corps, and intelligence agencies were institutions of the state while politicians are responsible for politics according to the Constitution.

Mr Ayub also conveyed a message from the incarcerated PTI founder, Imran Khan, who blamed PML-N and PPP for “creating a divide between people and the army”.

Earlier this week, Mr Khan blamed the establishment for “imposing” the two parties on the country “through rigged elections”.

Mr Ayub challenged the authorities to present CCTV footage of the May 9 incident to prove the allegations levelled against the PTI.

Qureshi calls Imran Khan ‘political reality’

He added that the PTI founder would seek the courts’ intervention to release the footage and rejected rumours of a deal with anyone.

In an interview with Reuters earlier this week, the incarcerated PTI leader — who has consistently blamed the military for his ouster from power and subsequent imprisonment — said there would be “no harm” in engaging with the generals if he should be released from jail and seek to return to power.

Imran Khan ‘a reality’

Talking about the current political situation, Mr Ayub stressed that only a strong prime minister can steer the country out of the crisis.

The incumbent government, he said, was “ineffective” and predicted ele­­­ctions by the year’s end.

The incarcerated former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, also talked to the media inside Kot Lakhpat jail after the hearing of a case in which he is accused of attacking a police station on May 9.

He said political stability cannot be achieved without acknowledging the PTI founder is a political reality. He also called out the authorities for filing cases against him over the past year.

Mr Qureshi talked about the need for consensus among political parties that they should not label each other as traitors.

On the issue of Balochistan, the former minister said the path to peace lies through dialogue.

Mr Qureshi also criticised PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his remarks about the judiciary during the National Assembly session on Friday. He said the way Mr Bhutto-Zardari attacked the judiciary was not befitting of him.

ATC hearing

Earlier, Mr Qureshi, along with Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and other PTI leaders, appeared before an ATC judge in the case of an attack on Shadman police station.

Mr Qureshi urged the judge, Khalid Arshad, to decide the bail petition of Dr Rashid first as she was a cancer patient.

But Dr Rashid asked the judge to decide on the bail applications of all her companions simultaneously. The hearing was adjourned till Sept 2.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024