Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) lawmaker Khursheed Shah said on Thursday that his party along with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) may launch a joint movement against the government in case of arrest of Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. Speaking to media persons outside Parliament House, he said that all cases against the PPP leadership were false and fabricated, adding that there is no direct allegation against ex-president Asif Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.
Shah said the government will have to present evidence against Zardari and Talpur for their alleged involvement in money-laundering and corruption. He also claimed that Sharif and Zardari may have a meeting, adding that Zardari will meet Sharif upon his arrival in Islamabad. He, however, did not give any exact date and venue of the meeting of both the leaders.
Shah said the opposition wanted to cooperate with the government for the sake of democracy, but the PTI itself was talking about the mid-term elections. Earlier, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party would oppose extension of military courts, and regretted that parliament had previously sanctioned such legislation.
"I will oppose the extension of military courts' laws at every forum," he said in a brief chat with reporters. He also criticized the parliament for granting a two-year extension to military courts in 2017, a decision he said was akin to the house slashing off its nose.
In March 2017, military courts were revived for the next two years after then President Mamnoon Hussain had ratified a National Assembly bill on the matter. Speaking to media persons in the Parliament House, ex-premier Nawaz Sharif said that the people of Pakistan are aware of the reasons behind graft cases against him, adding that there will be a positive outcome in the national politics from decisions taken by the senior party high command.
He said that the country progressed on every front whenever Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz came in power. Counting achievements of his government, he said the PML-N ended load shedding, terrorism, made motorways, brought CPEC in the country. Nawaz Sharif lamented that the rising inflation has drastically impacted the poor, adding that his party had limited inflation rate but the incumbent government has brought it to a drastic level. The poor don't know what they should do now, he said.
Nawaz and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif chaired a party meeting at the Parliament House, during which the accountability court's verdict which will be announced on December 24 and the current political situation of the country were discussed. The party decided during the meeting to start a mass contact movement and give a "tough time" to the government from December 30 if the accountability court sentences Nawaz in the remaining two corruption references against him.