Necessary to avoid ‘political manoeuvring’ like 2018 to save country: Khursheed Shah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah Friday warned against manoeuvrings like that of 2018 and said that no political party should take any step that impairs national unity as the political environment seemed charged due to the electoral campaigns.

In a statement, the PPP leader said that National Assembly had been dissolved according to the Constitution and the law and the onus was now on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct free and fair elections while fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities.

“In 2018, few people, who were supposed to give justice, were involved in political maneuverings and destabilised the country, but now it is necessary to avoid such political manoeuvrings so that the country could be saved from economic and political polarisation,” Shah said.

He asserted that political manoeuvrings like that of 2018 would not be tolerated.

Furthermore, Shah alleged that the election results of many constituencies were changed through rigging in 2018 which made them questionable.

However, he said that “we preferred to sit in the assemblies in the larger interest of the country”.

The former minister added a government was formed in Punjab to benefit a specific party, but when it dissolved a suo motu was taken to hold polls to facilitate it.

“Such tactics will not be tolerated anymore,” he added.

He said that such a constitutional step was not taken for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the arrangement was made for one party in Punjab.