NA Speaker foresees PMLN-PPP govt in Centre

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf foresees a possibility that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will form a coalition government in the Centre after the elections.

In an Interview with web-based media outlet, he was asked about the announcement of date of February 8 by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after consultation with the president, the NA Speaker said the election will be held on February 8 and preparations are being made for it. “One should think positively as there is no other way but elections,” he expressed the optimism. Regarding complaints of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for a level-playing field, Raja Pervez Ashraf said: “There should be a system in which the law is equal for all, and it’s responsibility of the ECP.”

Regarding the possibility of non-participation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its Chairman Imran Khan in the upcoming elections, the NA Speaker said there should be no ban on any party for contesting elections, but if there is a case against an individual, he will have to face it. At the same time, he pointed to the events of May 9 and said, “Would any British government allow their political party to attack the headquarters of the Army?”

The PPP leader believed that in the current political situation, the establishment has no role. “The establishment has matured and their announcement that they will not interfere should be taken as a good omen,” he added. Regarding the possibility of changing the 18th Amendment after the formation of a new government, he said that if someone has a two-thirds majority, he can change it.