LAHORE - The PML-Q top leaders have accelerated their efforts to bring major political parties at a single page for creating a larger opposition alliance and would meet Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan.
When contacted, PML-Q central spokesman Senator Kamil Ali Agha said, “Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would soon meet the PPP and PTI top leadership as part of their efforts to form a larger opposition coalition.” He added, “The PML-Q high command can go abroad as well to meet Asif Ali Zardari if former president would not be available in the country in the near future.” He said at this moment all the opposition parties are unanimous over the issue of rigging in 2013 polls, unprecedented loadshedding and soaring prices of various items. He said and they could join hands at a single platform to press the government in favour of public demands.
Sources in the PTI told this correspondent that Chaudhrys of Gujrat could possibly meet the party chairman at his Islamabad residence today (Wednesday) before his departure to London.
However, Naeemul Haq, political secretary to Imran Khan, when contacted said that party chairman has to proceed for London today (Wednesday) and he has no information about his expected meeting the PML-Q top leaders.
A senior PTI leader said, “What would be the better option than Chaudharys of Gujrat if we want to engage the PPP for joint efforts against the government.” He revealed that the PML-Q leadership had offered party’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi their assistance to bridge gap between the PTI and PPP when he (Qureshi) met with them to invite them to join the Azadi March on August 14.
Zardari’s statement on Tuesday opened an opportunity of back channel through the PML-Q to make an effort to take on board major opposition party to bring the government to its knees.
He said, “As the party’s core committee had already decided to take up all other major issues facing the country under Azadi March, which include on priority poll rigging and unprecedented loadshedding.”
Meanwhile, a federal cabinet member talking to The Nation said, “Unfortunately we are bringing closer the opposition parties through our bad governance and providing them an opportunity to launch a possible joint anti-government drive, which I think can conclude on acceptance of midterm polls if we fail to address our flaws.”
He also said, “I even fear a non-democratic setup wearing a political mask.” He claimed, “We are not facing dearth of energy, rather lack of efficient management that needs good governance, which unfortunately our minister in-charge poorly lacks and so is the story of other ministries.”
Meanwhile, PML-Q Punjab President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said the rulers cannot end or control the load shedding, as they are befooling the masses with false propaganda of energy projects.
Addressing a press conference at his residence on Tuesday, Pervaiz Elahi demanded of the rulers to inform the masses about the generated energy from its much propagated projects for energy. He claimed that PML-N for getting the premiership had sold Punjab by compromising the NFC Award because of which there was worst electricity and gas crisis in Punjab than other provinces.
There was no electricity for 18 to 20 hours in cities and gas was available just for two days in a week whereas no electricity was available in the villages, tube-wells were shut down and crops were being destroyed.
PML-Q Punjab president said masses would soon take to the streets from a single platform to send the rulers home who had inflicted unprecedented load shedding on masses without caring the month of Ramazan and breaking all the previous records. Pervaizm eulogizing Asif Zardari’s statement, suggested the PPP to join real politics on the roads sensing the pulse of the masses instead of politics of reconciliation.
He said despite having the resources and right to produce power at the provincial level, PML-N had neither generated even one megawatt of power in its past tenure nor in its present term in power.
He said Nandipur project after being run on one turbine for some days was now non-functional.
Pervaiz said despite publicity campaigns of millions of rupees, Nandipur and Guddu power plants were closed and rulers were asking for public pardon on television for their utter failure to provide electricity.
He claimed that rulers were also cheating in the name of Gaddani and Sahiwal Coal Power plants, as the projects could not be started so early because billions of rupees would be required for laying the track for carrying coal to Sahiwal.