Islamabad
\nPPP leader Nayyar Bukhari has questioned whether former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former finance minister Miftah Ismail are \u201cnational level leaders\u201d.
\nLast week, Khokhar had hinted at the formation of a new political party, saying it would be announced later this month as politicians gear up for general elections.
\nThe former PPP senator, who parted ways with his party last year, had been on a speaking tour of the country alongside Abbasi and Ismail. The trio has long been hinting at introducing a new force into the political mainstream.
\nThe three men have held a series of seminars \u2014 dubbed \u2018Reimagining Pakistan\u2019 \u2014 this year to highlight the country\u2019s current challenges and develop a consensus on the future course of action required by all stakeholders.
\nDespite speculation to the contrary, Khokhar had earlier insisted that there were no plans to turn their current campaign into a political party. However, in recent times both he and Ismail have conceded the need for a new political party, while Abbasi has also been dropping hints that he may be close to parting ways with the PML-N.
\nIf it is formed, the political party would be yet another that could enter the election fray. Other newly formed parties include PTI breakaway factions \u2014 Jehangir Tareen\u2019s Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) and Pervez Khattak\u2019s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P).
\nSpeaking on Dawn News programme \u2018Doosra Rukh\u2019 on Saturday night, PPP\u2019s Bukhari started off by saying that he had great respect for Abbasi.
\nHowever, in the same breath, he also asked whether Abbasi was a \u201cnational level leader\u201d. \u201cHe is definitely the leader of his constituency and has served as the prime minister but because of the PML-N,\u201d he said.
\nCommenting on ex-finmin Ismail, he noted that the politician was based in Karachi and was an industrialist. \u201cBut what is his constituency? Does he have acceptability as a national leader? Or acceptability on a promise level?\u201d
\nBukhari posed the same question with regards to Khokhar, saying, \u201cMustafa Khokhar sahib too, does he have acceptability as a national leader? Can you compare them to Mian Nawaz Sharif or Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari or Maulana Fazlur Rehman?\u201d
\nWhen the host pointed out that Abbasi was a former premier, Bukhari said, \u201cOf which party? On his own basis or on the basis of the PML-N? If you minus \u2018N\u2019 from him, then what is left?\u201d
\nDuring the interview, Bukhari was also asked about the JUI-F chief\u2019s comments wherein he stated that the country was in dire straits and political parties were worried about the polls.
\nThe PPP has been demanding timely elections while the JUI-F has raised questions over holding elections in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtun\u00adkhwa at a time when they remain grip\u00ad\u00adped by intense winter.
\n\u201cWho will stabilise the country: That is my question Maulana sahib. Will you do it or will unelected people do it? Stabilising the country is the job of those elected by the people. That is why we say elections should take place,\u201d the PPP leader said.
\nHe said that only those who were elected through polls could stabilise the country. \u201cThis is correct that after polls, whatever the results are, all political parties should sit together despite who got the majority or not.
\nAll political parties should decide whether they will cooperate with one another for the welfare of the country and the people, to take it out of crisis. But these things are for post-elections, not pre-election.\u201c
\nHe posed a question to the Maulana again, asking who had the right to take charge of the country. \u201cThe caretakers \u2014 who are not elected?\u201d
\nBukhari said Maulana was a \u201cseasoned politician\u201d and urged him to \u201cgo towards elections\u201d and call on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold polls if not within 90 days then at least on the timeframe given, which is the last week of January.
\n\u201cI think that the right of taking the country out of crisis, be it political instability or economic instability, was with the people\u2019s elected representatives. Let elections happen, whatever the results, post-election political forces should sit and decide who will be the premier,\u201d he said.
\nHe added that parties should sit and also brainstorm on finding a solution for the \u201cdisturbed economy\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari has questioned whether former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former finance minister Miftah Ismail are \u201cnational level leaders\u201d. Last week, Khokhar had hinted at the formation of a new political party, saying it would be announced later this month as politicians gear up for general elections. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-360391","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n