Translation to English: Sukkur: Senior leader of the People’s Party,Khurshid Shah, has said that the decision to form a 16-month coalitiongovernment with the Pakistan Democratic Movement was a “mistake” and hasasked for forgiveness for this action.
In a private TV interview, Khurshid Shah stated, “We were in that[government] for 16 months. We made a mistake, forgive us. We admit ourmistake. We should leave the past behind and set a date for elections.”
When asked again whether the PPP had made a mistake in participating inthe previous coalition government, Shah reiterated, “I say, forgive us, wemade a mistake. Are you sure now? Now, provide the election date.”
They stated that the support of the People’s Party was not for anyspecific government but to uphold democracy and the parliament. “We upheldthe slogan ‘Respect the vote,’ and the PML(N) did not. Nevertheless, we askfor forgiveness because we were a part of the 16-month government, soforgive us,” they said.
Regarding Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar’s initial congratulationsmessage to the PPP and subsequent allegations of bias against the PML(N),Shah clarified, “The PML(N) is a part of this [caretaker government], notus. We could have joined and obtained four ministries, but we felt thatdoing so could hinder timely elections.”
Read Top Stories
They further emphasized that the fundamental goal of the PPP is to ensurethe organization of elections in accordance with the constitution and thelaw. Khurshid Shah urged Nawaz Sharif to engage in dialogue with PPP’sco-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to ensure peaceful elections.
The slogan “Respect the vote” should be upheld by the PML(N).