The Sharif brothers ran away from the NA-151 by-poll and they will also run away from general elections then their workers would have to pray at shrines for their advent, said Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday before his departure to the United States. He said that Mian brothers had made him a scapegoat when they secretly fled to Saudi Arabia.
He criticised the government for reopening Nato supply routes and bypassing a parliamentary resolution in this regard. Hashmi said that parliament's recommendations had not been honoured while giving a go ahead for the resumption of Nato supplies. "Parliament's recommendations, demanding an unconditional apology over the Salala raid, halt to US drone attacks, $5,000 transit fee per Nato container and assurance for respect of territorial sovereignty and airspace of Pakistan have been bypassed," Hashmi said.
The PTI president reminded that US President Barack Obama had categorically said that the US would continue drone attacks in Pakistan. He said parliament was of no use and it should be dissolved as it had failed to implement its resolutions. He asked whether parliament's only aim was to protect President Asif Ali Zardari and its lawmakers.
He said that the PML-N should clarify its position on the government's move because it was also part of the committee shaping new terms of engagement with the United States. Highlighting pakistan's sacrifices in a war which was not "our own", he said that at least "40,000 of our citizens and soldiers have died" and the country suffered exorbitant losses worth nearly $70 billion. Despite sacrificing the most, it was surprising that the United States continues to question Pakistan's sincerity in fighting this war and constantly putting pressure on it to "do more", the PTI leader said.