ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday took a jibe at the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over “what he dubbed attitude towards the coalition government in the Centre,” predicting the PPP attitude will remain the same throughout the tenure of the government.
“Look at the party’s reaction to the appointment of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) chairman,” Rana Sanaullah said while speaking to a private channel’s programme.
“It is clear, they will have their position on everything. An impression is coming from allies to have the same attitude. However, we will try to move forward,” he added.
His remarks come after the PPP had strongly objected to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif government’s decision to appoint Zafar Mahmood — a retired grade 22 federal government officer — as the IRSA chairman.
The PPP had termed the appointment of Mehmood for a three-year tenure under the IRSA ordinance as a violation of constitutional procedures.
Following the Bilawal Bhutto-led party’s concerns, the government backtracked with the prime minister assuring Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of retracting the notification regarding the appointment of the IRSA chief.
Continuing on his party’s approach towards allies, the former security czar underscored that the PPP should’ve approached the PML-N directly before reaching out to the media on the said issue.
Comparing what PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif would’ve done in such a situation when confronted by allies, Sanaullah said: “If Nawaz [Sharif] had been the prime minister instead of Shehbaz Sharif, he might have said that a decision had been made and it would be reviewed later,”
“[However] Shehbaz Sharif also accommodated the allies in the last Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government generously,” he added while referring to the coalition government formed between the two parties, along with others, following the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan via a vote of no confidence.
