The major opposition political parties Tuesday described the government assurance to resolve National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case as per apex court's directives as time-buying tactics, which the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has been applying from the day-one.
The main opposition party in the Parliament, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were skeptical over government assurance to Supreme Court despite being arch-rival on many counts/issues of national importance. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday managed to buy a week's time from the apex court in NRO implementation case with the assurance that the government will withdraw the letter written by former Attorney General for Pakistan Malik Qayyum, besides presenting a draft of the letter to be sent to Swiss authorities for reviving the graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Talking to Business Recorder, PML-N senior leader Senator Syed Zaffar Ali Shah criticised the government for the delaying tactics in writing a letter to Swiss authorities to bring back the 'looted' money from the foreign banks. "I don't see that the government is sincere in its assurance it has given to the apex court. It's just the time-buying tactics of the government from the day-one with regard to the NRO implementation case", he maintained.
When contacted PTI secretary-general Dr Arif Alvi said that PPP is wilfully defying the court order and the court knew their intention but is showing great restraint in the national interest. He said that the PPP wants to be the flag-bearer of democracy as they are sure they had done nothing for people during four and half year rule and can only face the people being political martyrs, which the court and people have realised.
Alvi said that PPP wants to pressurize judges through its policies but they are forgetting that interpretation of the constitution is the responsibility of the judiciary only. It is the PPP, which is responsible for not paying any heed to problems faced by masses, he added, hence they are out to prolong the NRO implementation case. In the ongoing stand-off between judiciary and the government, he added, it is the PPP, which is gaining benefit, while the common man is suffering and there is nobody to rescue the nation made hostage to Zardari and his cronies.
He said that by not writing a letter to Swiss authorities, the government is creating more problems for the country, which is already riddled with crisis due to bad governance of PPP and its allies. Alvi said that it is a conspiracy against an independent judiciary, in which they will never succeed. "If anybody tried to harm the judiciary and the constitution, the PTI will take to streets and expose the real culprits", he maintained.