Qureshi slams PDM for attacking judiciary, Constitution

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi strongly criticised PDM for its “decision to attack” the Constitution.

He was addressing the participants of an Iftar dinner organised by former Sindh governor Imran Ismail on Sunday. Qureshi said the decision to file a reference against the three SC judges was a signal to pressurise them. It seems like the decision to file the reference has been made, he added. “The PPP is striking the Constitution today it was once proud of,” he said.

The former foreign minister urged the political parties that wanted to “turn away” from the Constitution to come out in the open, clarifying that “silence is not an option. “The silence that PPP has adopted is not enough,” he said. “Either the PPP stands with the Constitution or it should outright announce that it is abrogating it.”

He said the PPP was proud of making the Constitution of 1973 and the initiating nuclear programme. “Today, the irony is that the Constitution of ‘73 is continuously attacked by Bhutto’s grandson [Bilawal]. The Constitution created by Bhutto has been destroyed by the Zardaris,” the PTI leader said.

Qureshi said on Monday the three-member bench headed by the chief justice of Pakistan is supposed to form its opinion on PTI’s petition regarding the delay in elections. He said that everyone agrees that the SC has the authority to interpret the Constitution. He expressed the hope that a good decision would be made and PTI members will play their role in the assemblies. This is a test for political parties. He said the Constitution is clear about conducting elections in 90 days. “President Dr Arif Alvi has already begun consultations with lawyers,” he said. “The Supreme Court’s powers can only be done through a constitutional amendment”. He also urged the legal community “to play a role in the country’s history”.

Qureshi spoke about how the PML-N had decided to “attack” the Constitution and party leaders had started to pressurise the Supreme Court. “Look at their social media posts in the last 48 hours. They are not agreeing with any Pakistani. Even Rana Sanaullah tried to attack the judges yesterday.”

The PTI leader said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier invited them for talks from the floor of the assembly to free the country of the mess it was in but yesterday he said that Imran Khan and PTI will not be spoken to.

“Sometimes they ask us to come to the assembly and fulfil our responsibility but [at the same time] the National Assembly speaker [Raja Pervaiz Ashraf] is becoming a hurdle,” he said. “I hope the high court will give a message to the speaker so that PTI members can go to the assembly.”

Qureshi accused the government of wanting their own opposition leader in the National Assembly that tows the government’s line. “It’s a test for political parties. Tomorrow an important case will be heard. On Saturday the attorney general was called to the court but he couldn’t give any solid answer.”

Qureshi has said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) used to rule in Punjab but because of certain personalities, the party has now ceased to exist there, adding that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s existence in Punjab has also finished. “Now there are queues for PTI tickets, and if elections are held, PTI will have a clean sweep in Punjab,” claimed Qureshi.

He said there was a tradition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that a party that won once didn’t win again, but the PTI broke the tradition and won twice with a majority. And this time, the party would even bag more seats from the KP. He said that it has become impossible for the PPP to form a government in the Centre.

“The PPP is now restricted to Sindh only and it has vanished from Karachi too. The people in rural Sindh somehow accept PPP’s existence but this perception is also phasing out as the people of Sindh are fed up with the PPP government’s poor performance.”

The spiritual leader from Multan said that before the Minar-e-Pakistan public gathering, the caretaker government arrested around 2,000 PTI workers; there was rain and no transport but despite all odds, the people of Lahore turned out in large numbers at the Minar-e-Pakistan rally for the sixth time.

He said that no one can raise a finger at Imran’s honesty. The PTI chairman is known as a world leader and even more popular than Bhutto. There will be a change in Sindh’s politics in the same way. “I am the son of a Faqeer and I can predict this in advance,” said Qureshi.

Imran Ismail welcomed the dignitaries who attended the dinner and said that Monday is the most important day as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) intends to attack the judiciary. However, the entire nation stands with the judiciary. The supremacy of the Constitution is very important and the PTI won’t allow anyone to violate it.

Sindh Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, PTI Sindh President Ali Haider Zaidi, PTI MPAs, Sindh United Party President Syed Zain Shah along with Grand Democratic Alliance members also participated in the Iftar party.