Khursheed Shah criticises PTI for ‘dividing opposition’
Shah rebutted claims that the Pakistan People Party (PPP) takes “solo flight” and does not take the PTI onboard on matters
September 30, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah once again on Saturday criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's attempts to remove him from office, saying the party has introduced divisions in the opposition.
Addressing media here, Shah said that alliance of PTI and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to replace the incumbent opposition leader has cause irreparable damage to a united opposition.
Shah rebutted claims that the Pakistan People Party (PPP) takes “solo flight” and does not take the PTI onboard on matters, reminding PTI that the last PPP govt had appointed Justice Fakrukhdin G. Ebrahim as the Chief Election Commissioner on its advice.
“If the PTI wanted an opposition leader of its choice, they could have asked me, I would have fulfilled their desire; it was wrong to divide the opposition,” he said.
MQM-P and PTI joined hands to change leader of the oppositionwhen heads of both parties met in Karachi.
During the meeting, PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and MQM-P chief Farooq Sattar expressed dissatisfaction with Shah and agreed on consulting other parties in the opposition over the matter.
In a statement on Thursday, Shah demanded that PTI should be open about their reasons for wanting to change the opposition leader. The people that PTI have gone to for votes have also questioned the party’s decision, remarked Shah.
PTI leaders talk about democracy but are not willing to accept PPP's majority, Shah added.
Shah, while speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Sath, said that PTI leaders are trying to fulfill some other agenda through this move. "The matter pertains to PTI's internal war." Qureshi is trying to think of all the ways he can push Imran Khan back in the party politics, he added.
On Tuesday, a delegation of PTI, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Firdous Shamim among others, met with the leaders of Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan.
According to sources, the leaders of the two parties mulled over the possibility of replacing Shah, before the caretaker government steps in ahead of 2018 General Elections.
Reports suggest that PTI has started making efforts to replace the opposition leader with its own senior member, Qureshi.
The caretaker government is set up in consultation between the opposition and the present government.
PTI officials said if all the opposition parties unite against the PPP then a new opposition leader can emerge in the Lower House of Parliament.
