PDM's Gujranwala jalsa was a ‘flop show with empty chairs’: Shibli Faraz

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister on Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, while reacting to the opposition’s anti-government demonstration at Gujranwala on Friday, remarked that the opposition had staged a “flop show with empty chairs” that failed to display unity and solidarity.

Speaking to media, flanked by Minister on Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, the information minister said that it is reprehensible how the opposition leaders were speaking about the country's respected national institutions.

“Opposition leaders have used such derogatory language, especially Bilawal Bhutto and Khawaja Asif. Bilawal Bhutto this wasn’t expected from you [especially when your] mother [Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto] was a respected female politician of the country. With your address [yesterday] you showed how much you respect women,” the minister added.

The minister went on to add that the Jamiat Ulema e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader was again "sidelined" and "deceived" when he was made to address empty chairs at 2:00 am.

Read more: PDM's first anti-govt jalsa in Gujranwala draws in thousands

Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had already predicted in November 2011, that all parties being held accountable for corruption in the country will united once an action is taken against them.

“It is quite sad that despite spending millions, the opposition was only able to gather a handful of people at the jalsa yesterday,” he said.

Nawaz acting like an 'upset lover': Fawad

Reacting to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s address at the opposition's anti-government protest, Chaudhry taunted him by saying that the PML-N supremo is acting like an “upset lover”.

“The way he [Nawaz Sharif] is complaining about the Pakistan Army, seems like he has forgotten the time when the army had pampered him during the 1980s”, Chaudhry said. He suggested that opposition parties should cancel their next PDM demonstrations "given the poor participation from the public”.

Read more: Nawaz Sharif to suffer same fate as Altaf Hussain: Sheikh Rasheed

The minister said that he was always against sending Nawaz abroad. “The moment you step out of the country, you become the ally of the international establishment and follow their narrative. Nawaz Sharif has just started acting like Altaf Hussain,” the minister said, stressing that bringing Nawaz back from abroad is among the government’s top priorities at the moment.

"We will bring back Nawaz Sharif and he has to suffer his penalty," Chaudhry asserted.