Unlike the other opposition parties who are still mourning the dissolution of the National Assembly, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided to celebrate the departure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from the power corridors.
“The PPP will light fireworks at Charing Cross,” said Chaudhary Muhammad Aslam Gill in a statement released on Tuesday. Gill, who is PPP Lahore President, took the credit of PTI’s departure from the power corridor, saying that it was the result of the continuous struggle of the party’s chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He also directed the party leaders and workers to gather at the mentioned venue after Iftari to mark, what he said, was the victory of the party.
The PPP is the only opposition party which challenged the ruling of the NA speaker as well as the decision of Prime Minister Imran to dissolve the National Assembly. Just a day back, while addressing the 43rd death anniversary of his grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Bilawal Bhutto also took credit for sending the PTI government home.
“We, with the support of our jiyalas, have ended the rule of the puppet,” said Bilawal, a stance which no other opposition party took since the day PM Imran dissolved the National Assembly. The PPP chairman also said that his party was ready for the next general elections.
“We are ready for the next general elections whenever they are held,” he said. The statement also showed that the PPP had overcome the shock the other opposition parties were experiencing.
The celebrations in Lahore, on the other hand, also indicated that the PPP would give tough time to the PTI but would not stay put like other opposition parties to mourn the dissolution of the National Assembly. On the other hand, the PML-N, JUI-F and other opposition parties are still in shock and lashing out at Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party. They have not said so far whether they were ready for the next elections or not.
“Imran Khan doesn’t want elections in three months, instead he wants anarchy in the country,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb, the spokesperson of PML-N. She said all those who violated the constitution did not deserve the right to contest the general elections. She also addressed PM Khan, saying that he should be ready to go to jail instead of preparing for the next general elections.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief, was more furious over the current situation. During an interview to a local TV channel, he demanded the Pakistan Army immediately clarify its position “otherwise they would speak up”. “If anyone stops us from talking about the army or the judiciary, I will do that for the sake of the country,” said the JUI-F chief.
He also asked the top court to get the matter of the ‘threat letter’ investigated, so that it could be clear what exactly the issue was. He never said a single word about whether his party was ready for the next elections or not. On April 3, in a statement on Twitter, Maulana Fazlur Rehman had said, “From day one, early elections are our demand but we prefer to stay within the constitutional limits.” He said him and his party respected the state institutions but the recent move tore them apart. “Until the voting on no-trust-motion, we are in consensus that the PM can’t dissolve the assemblies,” he added.
