Shehbaz vows to quit politics if PM proves NRO was sought

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said he would leave politics if Prime Minister Imran Khan could prove that a request for a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was made.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president questioned who had asked the prime minister for an NRO, and challenged the premier to identify the person who had asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for such a deal. 

“We did not ask for an NRO. If the leader of the house can prove that a request was made for an NRO, I will quit politics for all time to come,” Shehbaz claimed during his heated talk.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his address to the nation last week, had said that the opposition parties wanted an NRO from the PTI government. He had said that no one would get an NRO even if they came out onto the streets in protest. 

“I [curse] the NRO,” Shehbaz said. "We cannot be scared off like this."

"If the leader of the house [cannot prove the NRO request], then he should [come to the House] and apologise here," he added. 

'Unholy alliance between NAB and PTI'

Slamming what he called an "unholy alliance" between the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the PTI government, Shehbaz said the watchdog's list of 71 politicians and bureaucrats it was investigating was "all an eyewash".

Saad Rafique saved the sinking railways, yet he has been receiving notices from NAB daily, the opposition leader lamented. 

He said former foreign minister Khawaja Asif and the head of a state institution also played a role in the $6 billion financial assistance that the PTI government was able to secure from Saudi Arabia. 

"This country will not be run like this. We will not let PTI impose its wishes and inflict cruelty. We will stand in its way."

The opposition leader added that several members of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) were also receiving notices from NAB.

'Inflation bombs dropped on masses'

Shehbaz lashed out at the PTI government for "dropping inflation bombs" on the masses since coming into power.

Lamenting the recent hike in gas and electricity prices, the PML-N president questioned how the PTI government would build five million houses for the poor. 

"They have wiped away the poor people's dreams with their inflation bombs," he said.