A speeding vehicle of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s motorcade reportedly caused the death of a motorcyclist at the Chandowal Stop on Shakargarh Road, Narowal, Dawn reported on Friday.
The CM was heading to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur to join in the three-day Baisakhi festival celebrations. As her motorcade travelled from Narowal to Kartarpur, an Elite Force vehicle collided with a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction. The motorcyclist, 23-year-old Abubakar from Jassar Town, lost his life on the scene.
The CM’s motorcade did not stop to take the injured to the hospital.
Ali Rizwan, a cousin of the accident victim, told Dawn that Abubakar was on his way to the gas station where he worked. He expressed frustration that no officials stopped their car to help the injured Abubakar, nor did they call Rescue 1122. Instead, he noted with disappointment that police officers arrived at the scene after the incident and washed away the blood from the road to eliminate the evidence.
As leaders of major opposition parties joined hands to attend an Iftar dinner hosted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday, their united stance against the government left social media divided.
ATTENDANCE:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senior leader Liaquat Baloch, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Sherpao and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar were all in attendance for the event organised at Zardari House in Islamabad.
AGENDA:
Bilawal is working to unite all opposition parties and his Iftar was an opportunity for them to reach consensus on launching an anti-government movement after Ramzan.
The grand show of around ten political parties discussed strategies against the government. Sources had earlier informed The Current that the meeting was set to unite opposition leaders against the country’s economic crisis — falling rupee value and inflation.
It was decided that solutions will be found to the issues the country is facing and all opposition parties will launch a protest inside and outside the parliament after Eid.
They also agreed that the government has failed in running the affairs of the country and after Eid, an All Parties Conference (APC) would be held where a joint strategy would be formulated.
The meeting also expressed concerns over “political victimisation” by the National Accountancy Bureau (NAB).
PM IMRAN’S REACTION:
Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan hit out at the opposition and said, “Today certain people have gathered for an event but we really know that it is because of them that Pakistan has not moved forward.”
He said that the economy was being used “as a source of blackmail by corrupt political mafia”.
DIVIDED SOCIAL MEDIA:
Some social media users lauded Bilawal and Maryam as the new faces behind the two biggest opposition parties in the country, “taking forward the ideas of their parents” — former PMs Benazir Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz.
The legacy continues Its really great to see the future leadership nd opposition on one table. The days of Mr Selected r numbered In Shaa Allah he have to go.. Democratic leaders r indeed a threat to the selectors nd selected#PTIAikIftaarKiMaar@MaryamNSharif@BBhuttoZardaripic.twitter.com/3gFPGc8AJN
— Samana Malaika Raza (@MalaikaSRaza) May 19, 2019
Meanwhile, some others stepped up to criticise the “unholy alliance”.
Pakistan People’s Party and PMLN are those two parties which becomes one when things come to their corruption they can not survive without each other PMLN and PPP are the worst memory of Pakistan these two parties have destroyed our country from roots#کرپشن_بچاو_اپوزیشن_اتحادpic.twitter.com/ZpGEsGIDUG
#کرپشن_بچاو_اپوزیشن_اتحاد We the people of Pakistan are aware of the economic situation and we also know that the crops we are harvesting now was cultivated by the previous governments.
