Only PPP has a political university, says Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said that only his party has a political university whose students are even sitting in the government, ARY News reported.

Addressing the National Assembly ahead of no-confidence vote against PM Imran Khan, the PPP co-chairman urged NA Speaker Asad Qaiser to start voting on the no-confidence motion against the prime minister to take country and the assembly out of political uncertainty.

“Only PPP has a political university whose students are sitting there (in the government) and they will soon return,” said Zardari.

Earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PML-N MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique also urged the Speaker Asad Qaiser and earlier Panel of Chair Amjad Niazi to start voting on no-confidence vote immediately.

Crucial NA session proceedings (follow live here)

Following the recitation of the Holy Quran and national anthem, the speaker allowed the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif to begin his speech.

Speaking on the floor of NA, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif hailed Thursday as a historic day in the country’s history when the Supreme Court rejected the deputy speaker’s ruling.

“SC decision had made Pakistan’s future bright,” he said and urged the speaker to conduct the session as per the order of the apex court as its directions were clear.

Responding to Shehbaz, Asad Qaiser assured the opposition leader that he would conduct proceedings according to the law and the Constitution.

“The foreign conspiracy against PM Imran-led PTI govt should also be discussed in today’s NA session,” the speaker said while interrupting the opposition leader.

This prompted PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif to tell the speaker that he would be violating the court’s directives by delaying voting in no-trust motion.

Asad Qaiser again assured that SC’s orders will be followed in true letter and spirit.

After Shehbaz’s speech, Speaker Asad Qaiser handed over the floor to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The foreign minister began his speech by acknowledging that the joint opposition had the right to table a no-trust motion against the prime minister. “Defending no-trust motion against the prime minister is our obligation.”

Qureshi said the treasury benches intend to fight the no-trust motion in a constitutional, political and democratic manner.

Qureshi said that Pakistan’s history is full of Constitutional violations and on October 12, 1999, the Constitution was blatantly violated.

The foreign minister reiterated that the opposition had been demanding fresh elections for the last four years; and when PM Imran Khan suggested that people should decide the country’s fate, the opposition started staging drama and running away from general elections.

Qureshi was of the view that the cable was presented before National Security Committee (NSC) and the meeting concluded that it was a sensitive matter.