Leading Pakistani opposition politician calls for ‘national government’ for five years

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.