Addressing a press conference at the Central Press Club, leaders of the opposition alliance — comprising the Pakistan Muslim League (N), the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its dissidents — alleged that the government was evading constitutional accountability within the assembly.
PML-N regional president and Leader of the Opposition Shah Ghulam Qadir said a requisitioned session of the house, convened by the opposition, was abruptly adjourned despite quorum and agenda items.
“We ensured quorum. With business on the agenda, the sudden adjournment was incomprehensible,” he said, adding that at one stage only one minister was present to respond to questions.
The session was prorogued before calling attention notices and resolutions could be taken up, prompting the opposition to pass what he described as an unprecedented resolution of condemnation against the government.
Mr Qadir claimed the PPP no longer commanded a majority in the house and accused it of making hasty appointments and distributing discretionary posts arbitrarily. Political advisers, he alleged, were being posted in the Kashmir Liberation Cell instead of subject experts.
Warning the government against what he termed complacency, he said: “If the PPP does not mend its ways, it will not take long to move a no-confidence motion. If they are under any illusion, they should disabuse themselves of it.”
However, he added that with elections approaching, the opposition did not wish to destabilise the system and would act within constitutional bounds. “The government will act, and we will react,” he said, making it clear that the opposition would not allow the assembly’s term to be extended “even by a single day.”
Referring to the Supreme Court’s restoration of the Third Party Act, he alleged that appointments were still being made without due process, including tests and interviews.
Former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider termed the present arrangement a deviation from what was initially agreed as a temporary set-up. He alleged that budgetary changes were being made without assembly approval and warned that the prime minister was “walking a tightrope.”
“A party without a majority should refrain from actions that create new crises,” he said, claiming that even some treasury members had privately admitted their numerical weakness.
He criticised the alleged revengeful transfers and said the government’s conduct risked undermining the electoral process. “If another system is imposed, nothing will remain,” he warned.
Former premier Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said improved governance was key to stability and urged political forces to prevent any slide into instability.
He recalled that during his tenure, unrest had been fomented in the name of rights, and claimed that the narrative faded after his government’s removal. He said power had been transferred peacefully in line with his wishes and that no further adventurism should be tolerated.
“It is the opposition’s job to ask questions and the government’s duty to answer them. When you flee accountability in the assembly, who will prevent anarchy on the streets?” he asked.
Mr Haq warned the government against any step outside the constitutional framework and said continued “non-seriousness” would only deepen the crisis. “The only achievement of this government in 90 days is that it has brought the entire opposition onto one platform,” he remarked.
He maintained that despite having the numbers for a no-confidence move, the opposition preferred continuity of the constitutional order. A fresh requisition for a new assembly session had been submitted.
Addressing the government, he said: "When you evade accountability in the assemblies, how can you stop anarchy on the roads?"
Interestingly, when asked why he himself had not ensured stronger parliamentary accountability during his own tenure — despite episodes of street unrest — he did not offer a clear response.
End
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