ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former petroleum minister Khurram Dastgir on Tuesday said the political “countdown” would begin for all parties by October, responding to recent political statements amid growing tensions between coalition partners.
Speaking on HUM News programme Subh Se Agay, Dastgir urged political parties to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and maintain decency during election campaigns.
“We should exercise restraint in our public statements and refrain from making baseless allegations,” he said, referring to the heated exchanges during the recent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Commenting on the PML-N’s alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Dastgir said the coalition at the Centre would remain intact as long as President Asif Ali Zardari remained part of the arrangement.
He said it was up to the PPP to decide whether it wished to join the government or sit in the opposition in AJK, adding that the PML-N would welcome the party if it chose to become part of the regional government.
Responding to the PPP’s allegations of rigging in the AJK elections, Dastgir defended the independence of the AJK Election Commission and said allegations should be backed by evidence.
He said the Election Commission would investigate complaints on the basis of proof, adding that the third and final phase of the AJK elections would conclude on August 10.
On the security situation, Dastgir said the government remained committed to eliminating terrorism, describing it as a top national priority.
“There will be decisive action against terrorism, and eliminating terrorism is our priority this year,” he said.
Commenting on recent remarks by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Dastgir said the minister had expressed his personal opinion and suggested that any reform agenda should be presented for public and political discussion.
His remarks came a day after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced a nationwide political movement against the federal government and declared that the “countdown” for the PML-N government had begun.
Addressing a public rally in Azad Kashmir, Bilawal alleged that the AJK elections were neither free nor fair and claimed they had been marred by rigging.
He said the PPP would launch a nationwide campaign against the federal government and vowed to reclaim seats that, according to him, had been taken from the party in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.
Bilawal also announced plans to campaign in Poonch and Bagh ahead of the final phase of the AJK elections, urging party workers to remain prepared for the upcoming political contest.
