ISLAMABAD- The incumbent government may lose the support of opposition parties in National Assembly after the clarification of Inter-Services Public Relations over Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif's role in resolving ongoing political deadlock.
Talking to The Nation, PPP Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo said that his party would not side with the government but with democracy and constitution after the government's decision to involve army in the process. He said that the government did not take political forces into confidence on the issue of COAS' involvement for ending the political crisis and instead the PM denied it on the floor of the house, which was later clarified by the ISPR.
Wattoo cleared that Opposition Leader in NA Syed Khursheed Shah had stressed that ISPR should issue clarification over the issue. He stated that ISPR issued the statement and negated the statements of the PM and Interior minister. He mentioned that the government has failed to get support of PPP in NA after ISPR statement. He said Imran Khan has the right to give political call for achieving his goals but it would not be a good way in the field of politics. The government has been mishandling political issues and especially Model Town incident since day first, Wattoo added.
Fareed Paracha from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) shared his views with The Nation and said that the PM should resign on moral grounds because the government involved a non-political institution into political issues and all politicians were insulted who were engaged by the government to overcome crisis. Paracha mentioned that due to mistakes of PM Nawaz Sharif no body would be allowed to put the question mark on parliament, constitution and democracy. Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri should also tender apology to the nation for meeting with the COAS.
Muttahida Quami Movement Quaid Altaf Hussain in a statement said that PM Sharif should resign after the issuance of ISPR statement. He added that the government and army played their role under the constitution.
Altaf said that army should intervene in political matters and establish a technocrat set-up in Pakistan. He said that he was not in favour of martial law but politicians damaged Pakistan in the name of democracy and constitution. The MQM stands with Pak Army for establishing new set-up in Pakistan, Altaf added.
Jan Achakzai, the spokesperson of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), said that intransigence of Imran Khan and Dr Qadri has created an impasse and now they want to drag army in political affairs.
In a statement, Achakzai said that JUI-F would never accept any attempt of regime change by street pressure, adding that marchers' leaders want to resort to bloodletting but the government is not giving them "martyrs". He said that ISPR statement did not contradict the PM's speech in the parliament. He said that JUI-F would not endorse any solution that is beyond the confines of parliamentary resolution, constitution and democratic norms.