Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) Chief Ayaz Latif Palijo, during a media address on Monday, asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to act prudently to lead the people of the country from the front by acting as a true leader, especially at a time when they were groaning under the yoke of lawlessness, price hike, uncontrolled inflation and other key issues.
Palijo, who is also a general secretary of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), was addressing the party workers in Umerkot and Mirpurkhas towns, in which he asked the premier to convene an All Parties Conference (APC) for making a joint effective mechanism to steer the country out of the present crisis.
“The people are feeling unsafe, insecure and uncertain due to the rising prices of essential commodities with no remedial measures in plain sight everywhere in the country, and the situation, if not controlled prudently, could push the country towards chaos,” he warned and asked PM Khan to read the writing on the wall and stop relying solely on loans from international agencies to run the affairs of the government.
“Any move by the rulers to prevaricate on key issues can be disastrous for the very foundations of the state and its institutions,” he remarked and urged that time had come to stand on the same platform to devise comprehensive policies to steer the country out of deep financial and other crises.
He said that the loans with harsh preconditions would never bring any change in the lifestyle of the country and would rather push the country towards bankruptcy. He said that it was high time for the rulers to concentrate on the key internal issues, instead of interfering in the domestic issues of other countries.
Palijo said that the rulers should stop ‘unnecessary adventurism’ at a time when the country had been passing through a critical phase due to the changing international realities. He said that right now, there was an urgent need to mull over the worsening situation by inviting all stakeholders and the leaders of different political parties to find ways to get out of the dangerous conditions.
“It is unfortunate that rulers are not focusing on the real issues of the country and its people, and failing to frame pro-people policies and plans which need prompt relief,” he remarked and demanded that rulers acted wisely.
Palijo said that unlike other provinces, most of the mess was being created in Sindh, where “Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rulers had played havoc with the institutions, forcing people to commit suicide”. The corrupt and incompetent rulers in Sindh over the past 14 years had never bothered to even pay a little attention towards the basic amenities of life, and the whole province was facing ruination, he said.
The QAT chief said, “Hindu girls are being abducted and raped; people are being kidnapped and killed in broad-daylight; students in universities were not feeling safe and secure; and infants in Thar have been left to die of hunger and starvation.” He went on and lashed at the rulers for their alleged callous approach towards every issue of the province. He said that it was a matter of shame that lawmakers associated with the ruling party (PPP) were killing innocent people with impunity and termed the brutal death of Nazim Jokhio as the worst example of the mindset of those in power for years.
Palijo observed that killers of Jokhio and Dodo Bheel, instead of getting punished as per the existing laws of the land, were left unbridled mainly due to the direct interference of those at the helm of the affairs. He said that such ghastly acts implied that the laws only existed for the poor and downtrodden people, while persons with power could easily get off the hook by paying the hefty amounts either in bribes or as compensation.
