Opposition alliance in the offing
PPP, PML-N TO DEVISE JOINT STRATEGY AGAINST POSSIBLE ARREST OF ZARDARI, SHARIF AND OTHERS
Parties to devise joint strategy against possible arrest of Zardari, Sharif
With opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif in jail and the cloud of arrests hovering over Bilawal House and Raiwind’s Jati Umra palace, the main opposition parties — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) — have expedited efforts to form a grand opposition alliance. They are trying to avert the possible arrest of opposition leaders including PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, and his nephews Hamza and Salman in corruption cases.
Although PML-N and PPP both are part of the opposition benches in the Parliament House, party differences have kept them apart in the National Assembly and the Senate against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) on national issues.
However, the recent political and judicial developments have almost ascertained a possible alliance of the two, with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as chief mediator.
PTI Chairman and Prime Minister Imran Khan in a televised address on Wednesday indicated the government was going to move against “corrupt” politicians, who will be held accountable for past “misdeeds.”
Moreover, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted on the orders of the Supreme Court to probe money laundering and fake accounts cases has recently discovered more than 30 fake accounts through which transactions worth billions of rupees were made.
According to the head of the JIT, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Additional Director of the General Economic Crime Wing Ehsan Sadiq, and seven individuals including PPP Co-Chairman Zardari and his sister Talpur are also involved in using those accounts for suspicious transactions. Since investigation in the benami accounts case is in the final stage, legal experts say it is possible Zardari and Talpur can be taken into custody next week by the FIA.
Similarly, the temporary relief Nawaz Sharif got from Islamabad High Court against the Accountability Court’s conviction is also under scrutiny, as the Supreme Court has also begun hearing NAB’s appeal against the high court decision.