Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah stated that he would hold Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan responsible in the event of a military takeover. Talking to media outside his chamber in Parliament on Tuesday, the Opposition Leader said that he had no idea why Imran Khan was 'thirsty for the blood of his poor workers' and urged him not to drag the army into the political arena.
He said that only 10,000 people are sufficient to shut down Islamabad and accused Imran Khan of "pursuing someone's agenda". "We know where discussions are taking place", Khursheed Shah stated. "PTI has challenged corruption not the Parliament unlike in 2014 when Parliament was challenged. This time it is the government versus Imran Khan," he said.
The Leader of the Opposition further stated that he was not aware of any intent on the part of the government to call a joint session of parliament. On the issue of the Panama Papers, the Opposition Leader said the situation would not have been as bad if the government had taken the Parliament seriously on the proposed Terms of Reference (ToRs) by the joint Opposition.
Shah stated that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is responsible for the present situation. He asked: "Why didn't the government give importance to Parliament? Why didn't the government show flexibility over the TORs?" The government has lost the opportunity to use the parliamentary forum, Shah stated. Shah said that his party is waiting for the Supreme Court hearing on November 1 on the Panama Papers.
The opposition Leader condemned the terrorist attack on Quetta police training centre. Criticising Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Opposition Leader said that the name of Cyril Almeida was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) so that he should not divulge the name of those who gave him the "news".