PPP gives PML-N three more months to deliver

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/

* Khurshid Shah says opp will prepare new strategy against govt if it fails to improve performance * Govt failed to reduce inflation and load shedding in last six months

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah said on Wednesday that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) is giving three months to the government to improve its performance otherwise opposition would chalk out a new strategy against it. Talking to reporters, he said the government has failed to reduce inflation and power load shedding in the county during its six-month tenure. Shah said that the government has also failed to uplift economy of the country. To a question, he said the issue of load shedding was older one and Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif did nothing to resolve it in the past.

The opposition leader said Imran Khan should contain price hike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) first and then talk about Punjab. “We will have to abandon the path of clash and focus on sorting out problems and parliament is the potential platform for this purpose,” he added. He said the PPP had curtailed inflation during its tenure. He said that suspending or scrapping Pak-Iran gas pipeline project would be sheer injustice with people. He added that six months were given to the government to streamline the country’s affairs but its performance has not been good. “Therefore, we are giving three more months to the government and it should work for the betterment of people,” he added. He claimed that “more than half” of ministers did not come to the National Assembly.

Still, he added, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali talked about TA/DA of legislators. He should not claim TA/DA for attending National Assembly sessions, Shah added.

The opposition leader also said that if the interior minister did not withdraw his remarks of “tamasha” he had used in a speech in the NA to describe a PTI campaign for thumb verification of voters, the opposition would devise a strategy to deal with the matter.

Earlier on December 18, Nisar had used the word “tamasha” [drama] to describe a PTI campaign in and out of parliament for thumb verification of voters in four key National Assembly constituencies in Punjab, won by the PML-N in the May 11 general elections.

The remark had drawn instant protests from opposition benches and a demand from Shah that the minister withdraw the word “tamasha”.

Nisar had argued that ‘tamasha” was no “unparliamentary word”. Earlier in an interview with a private TV channel, Shah said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is holding key ministries himself and he has no time to come to the assembly. “The PML-N is pursuing dual policy on terrorism and no consultation has been made by the government with regard to National Security Policy.”