ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) categorically rejected becoming part of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) again. "It is out of the question that the PPP becomes part of the PDM again. We are against the stance of PDM President and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Maulana had welcomed the Taliban occupation of Afghanistan without taking the PDM into confidence," PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar said while exclusively talking to Business Recorder on Tuesday.
Answering a question, he said his party would continue its protest against inflation due to wrong economic policies of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI). He said the PPP would continue its protest against the PTI government in and out of the Parliament. However, Babar said the PPP would take the opposition parties into confidence to get their support on various issues in the Parliament. He said that for example the PPP got support of other opposition parties against Pakistan Media Development Authority (PDMA) Bill, 2021 of the PTI government in Parliament.
When the PPP was part of PDM, Babar said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman had refused to accept the proposal to move vote of no confidence against the Punjab Chief Minister as well as the Prime Minister. The PPP Secretary General said "there is no chance of PPP joining the PDM platform. However, the PPP will mobilize the people for movement against the PTI government. The people should support the PPP in protesting against the PTI government with the objective of getting rid of PTI government."
Meanwhile, PPP Vice President, Senator Sherry Rehman said, "It comes as no surprise that the government has broken a 70-year record of inflation over the past three years. Prices of staple food items like poultry, sugar, ghee and flour have broken all past records while the government has given no explanations and nor has it shared any exit strategy".
She said in a statement that from October 2018 to October 2021 petrol prices have increased by 49 percent while electricity rates have gone up by 57 percent. She said that prices of ghee, sugar and 20kg bag of flour over the last three years had increased by 108 percent, 83 percent and 52 percent, respectively.
The PPP Vice President said, "Food prices will further go up when the rate of petroleum products will increase. Even though petrol is at Rs137.79, there's news that petrol prices are expected to further increase by Rs7 from November 1. On the other hand, rupee is at an all-time low as the US dollar has hit a rate of Rs175 at the interbank but the Governor of State Bank is telling us that a weaker rupee results in higher remittances".
Sherry Rehman said that after all the bulldozing of bills, it is unfortunate that Pakistan remains on the FATF grey list and despite the economic mess that they have put Pakistan in, the government seems least interested in fixing pressing issues as it is busy in vile campaigns against opposition members, female journalists or busy in extending Pemra's powers which is acting like Pakistan's vice and virtue police.
PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by saying, "The government is in deep slumber while the opposition and civilians are protesting for change and relief. The government needs to realise that they cannot play the blame game forever as blaming others for inaction to mask their own incompetence is not a policy and now people are getting tired of their theatrics."
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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