It’s monarchy in Pakistan, not democracy, says Imran
December 17th, 2011 - 7:54 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, Dec 17 (IANS) Leadership of Pakistan’s political parties is being passed on like batons from father to son like in a monarchy, cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan said Saturday.
Imran, who heads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said both the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the main opposition, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had passed on the leadership of their parties from one family member to another, Geo News said.
The former cricketer, at a political rally in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was referring to the PPP’s first chairperson Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was succeeded by his wife Nusrat Bhutto and later by his daughter Benazir Bhutto.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, the party was led by her husband Asif Ali Zardari, who passed on the mantle to their 23-year-old son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Similarly, the PML-N is led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose brother Shahbaz Sharif is a key party member and the chief minister of Punjab. Shahbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is also an important party leader as well as an MP.
This was not democracy as the political parties are being run like dynasties, Imran said.
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