ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani opposition leader, whose party was instrumental in bringing the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, advocated the idea of setting up a “national government” without the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party during an interview with a local news channel on Wednesday.
Last week, the opposition filed a no-trust motion against the prime minister in the National Assembly Secretariat to topple the PTI-led coalition.
While the opposition has accused Khan’s administration for misgovernance, its leading politicians have also faced criticism for not sharing their political strategy after removing the government.
Some of its leaders have previously hinted at the possibility of holding fresh elections in the country, but this is the first time the top leader of a major opposition party has mooted the idea of a national government.
“I will say this to my party members that we should establish a national government that does not include [the ruling] PTI [party],” said Shehbaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, while speaking to Geo News.
Sharif is also the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly whose party was in power before Khan won the last general elections in July 2018.
Explaining the rationale behind his political preference, the PML-N president said all components of the national government should collectively work for five years with full sincerity and diligence to serve the country which was facing daunting challenges.
Asked how a national government could be set up without the PTI party, Sharif maintained: “The PTI has poisoned our society.”
He added the impact of Khan’s party on Pakistan’s politics would not go away for many years to come.
Sharif and his family have faced several corruption references against them since the arrival of the PTI-led administration.
He and other opposition leaders have frequently maintained the government’s accountability drive is politically motivated which is solely launched to target its rivals.
Leading Pakistani opposition politician calls for ‘national government’ for five years
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Leading Pakistani opposition politician calls for ‘national government’ for five years
- PML-N president says the national government should exclude PM Khan’s PTI party and try to diligently serve the country
- Shehbaz Sharif tells a local news channel Khan’s party has ‘poisoned’ Pakistani society
One dead, four injured as gas cylinder explosion triggers fire in Karachi building
- Fire triggered by gas cylinder explosion in Karachi’s Bismillah Residency in North Nazimabad area, say police
- Many households in Pakistan rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders which are susceptible to gas explosions
ISLAMABAD: One person was killed while four others were injured in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi after a gas cylinder exploded, triggering a fire inside a residential building, police and rescue officials said on Sunday.
The fire was caused on Saturday night by a gas cylinder explosion at a flat in Bismillah Residency located in Karachi’s North Nazimabad area, Sindh Police said in a statement. Local media reports said the flat was located on the ninth floor of the high-rise building.
Rescue 1122 Sindh emergency service said its firefighters arrived shortly after the fire was reported and doused the flames on Sunday morning. It said all of the building’s occupants, except for the one person who was killed by the fire, were rescued.
“The child who died in the fire that broke out following a cylinder blast in a building has been identified as Burhan, son of Aoun, aged 15,” Rescue 1122 spokesperson said in a statement.
It said the injured included two women, one man and a four-year-old girl.
“All the injured were shifted to hospital after receiving immediate medical aid, and the rescue operation has been completed,” the spokesperson added.
This is the second such explosion to take place in Karachi in less than a week. At least 15 people were killed, including women and children, when a gas cylinder exploded in a residential building in the city’s Soldier Bazaar area on Thursday.
Most houses and apartment buildings in Karachi, like elsewhere in Pakistan, are supplied with natural gas for cooking. However, many households also rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure.
In July, a gas explosion following a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killed eight people, including the bride and groom.
A massive fire at a popular shopping mall in Karachi last month killed over 70 people.
