Nisar assails MQM, PML-Q for joining Tahirul Qadri

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan says the recently formed alliance of Dr Tahirul Qadri, MQM and PML-Q is a strange phenomenon in which a pack of jokers wants to act like kings and aces.

In case Imran Khan too decides to join the Qadri bandwagon, the Musharraf team of 2002 would be complete and the only man missing would be its captain, the dictator, the opposition leader told The News.

He said it does seem odd that the three main pillars of Musharraf era, - Qadri, PML-Q and MQM - have come together once again to confuse people with their version of an “enlightened democracy”.

“Not even the most far-fetched soap opera can beat the current political scenario where it seems that a pack of jokers wants to assume the role of the pack of kings and aces,” he believed.

Chaudhry Nisar doesn’t see Qadri’s bubble lasting much beyond his Jan 14 deadline and believes that his predictions will prove quite similar to the Mayan prophesy about the end of the world that was to take place on Dec 21 last.

Qadri’s forecast will meet the same fate like what happened on Dec 21, he said adding that Qadri bubble will become more temporary and insignificant than that of Imran Khan’s PTI.

There can’t be anything more ridiculous than the MQM and PML-Q, which have a major share in the regime, setting out in Qadri’s Long March against their own government being led by a man, who is not even a politician and who has a very chequered public career, the opposition leader said.

Chaudhry Nisar said what can be more weird than the MQM asking for a revolution in the streets when it is the only political party of Pakistan which has been in power for a record breaking five times since 1985 and also has the questionable distinction of completing two consecutive five-year terms in office, once under Pervez Musharraf and the second under Asif Ali Zardari.

He said that after first publicly acclaiming and supporting Qadri’s movement, Imran Khan is true to his habit, becoming confused now, and doesn’t know what to do, the opposition leader said adding that it was a typical case of the PTI chief talking as a confused politician.

Chaudhry Nisar said that there was a complete national consensus on the necessity of holding general elections within the next few months. The first vital step to ensure fair, free and just polls has already been taken through the constitution of an independent Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and appointment of a universally approved Chief Election Commissioner. The second step, an impartial caretaker setup, will be set in the same way, he added.

He said the opposition has already carried out a wide-ranging consultative process with all the political parties inside and outside of Parliament to firm up the names from its side. As these matters can’t be resolved on streets, those giving ludicrous statements are fooling themselves and people of Pakistan.

Chaudhry Nisar claimed that the PPP and PTI have common agenda to cloud and distort the genuineness of the PML-N’s role as the authentic opposition. “The PTI has nothing to say against us except to harp on the theme that the government and the opposition are together. No voter is ready to buy this.”

He said that as a leader of the parliamentary opposition it was his objective and effort to clear the distortions and misgivings for which attempts have been made.

Chaudhry Nisar said the government has been trying to rope in the opposition by using different channels and sources about different issues the main being the nomination of the caretaker prime minister. “But at the end of the day, the PML-N policy is very clear – this government is a monumental disaster and we can’t be even seen to be near it.”

He said that if there was no consensus on the next interim prime minister between him and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the bipartisan committee would take a decision on the four nominations, the two would submit to it. And if this body failed to agree on any single name, the ECP would pick up the interim man from amongst the four names.

There is no other way or option available under the Constitution to select the caretaker chief, the opposition leader said. “We will not be deceived by machinations of the regime.”

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