PML-N accused of pursuing 'politics of the 1990s'

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Monday presented the case of 'victimisation of Sindh' before the Senate, accusing the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of pursuing politics of the 1990s while targeting a single province and the political party under the 'pretext' of accountability. The issue was raised on a point of order by Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan who stated that an impression is being created that the federal government have started targeting a single province and a party.
"This is very unfortunate that a general impression has been created that rulers are pursuing biased policies towards a single province and a party," he said while referring to the action being taken by law enforcement agencies and the arrests being made in Sindh.
Aitzaz said he was not against accountability but it should be across the board without any discrimination. According to him, the arrest of a former PPP Senator Dr Asim Hussain and his 90-day remand on terrorism charges was "total discrimination." "We were told that the ongoing operation was against jet-black terrorists...if there were terrorists inside that party [MQM], then let me say that the party had been a close ally of the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf," he said.
He also lambasted the PML-N federal government, saying the cost of the Nandipur power project has increased from Rs 23 billion to Rs 87 billion, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power project which was said to generate 100 MW but it is producing only 17 MW. "Had he been a PPP minister, he would have gone to the prison by giving explanation after explanation," he said without naming anybody, adding the government also needs to come up with a plausible explanation about irregularities in the power projects. Similarly, no action has been taken against those politicians nominated in the Asghar Khan case, he added.
Referring to PML-N government's "flawed priorities", he said that Rs 45 billion was spent on Metro Bus project in Islamabad while the people of the capital city were even not being supplied clean drinking water, which is a basic necessity. Accusing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of pursuing politics of the 1990s, Aitzaz warned that PPP would also take to the streets.
PPP parliamentary leader Saeed Ghani said that PPP legally no provincial department and departments in Fata comes under the FIA authority. "But FIA has not initiated a single case against any federal institution but all actions have been taken against provincial departments and that too in Sindh," he added.
"We will welcome an across the board accountability but let us also know whether you are also going to go after your blue-eyed," he asked, adding that Sindh should not be isolated in such a way. Referring to acquittal of two MQM leaders, Amir Khan and Qamar Mansoor, he maintained that both were released after Rangers failed to establish the charges they had levelled against them.
He also questioned certain arrests made by Rangers in Karachi, saying the Rangers will come with a claim that they have credible information of suspects' involvement in terrorism. "With this they are only exploiting the laws so to get a 90-day remand of any person, while in fact who knows that credible information," he added.
Another PPP Senator, Farhatullah Babar, asked: "If you are sincerely fighting this war against the jet-black terrorists, then why are you not going after the Molvi against whom a major military operation was conducted in 2007 in Islamabad." He was referring to the Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz. He further said that the government also needs to take action against those banned outfits that are still operating under new names.