ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in its meeting today at Raiwind, will deliberate upon the proposals of Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) central executive committee (CEC) such as participation in the Senate elections and the by-polls, besides matters including resignations from the assemblies.
In the chair of PDM president Mualana Fazlur Rehman, the meeting will be attended by the PML-N vice president, Maryam Nawaz, and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai along with other leaders of the 11-member opposition parties’ alliance.
The PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will participate in the meeting via video link, while party leaders including Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Asharf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Farhatullah Babar, would attend the meeting.
The PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif would also participate in the meeting via video link from London.
Primarily called for deliberations on the PDM’s future strategy, the sources said the focus of discussion would be about the proposals presented by the PPP with regard to its CEC’s decisions on Dec 29, which has decided in favour of contesting the upcoming Senate elections as well as by-polls, besides challenging the government by remaining in the Parliament.
Although, PPP CEC endorsed the decision of PDM for submitting resignations by December 31, the party decided that they should challenge the ‘selected’ government at every forum – on streets, in the courts, in the shape of no-confidence motions in the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly.
The PPP CEC also decided in favour of contesting by-polls and the upcoming Senate elections.
Addressing a press conference after the CEC meeting, PPP chairman Bilawal said he would take up the CEC decisions before the PDM leadership for more deliberations.
About the speculations that many PPP members had sought Nawaz Sharif’s return for the anti-government movement, Bilawal neither endorsed the speculation nor denied and stated: “The freedom of expression and every person’s right to secrecy of his opinion don’t allow me to share more.”
Commenting on the PPP CEC proposals after a meeting with Maryam Nawaz in Islamabad late Wednesday night, Maulana Fazlur Rehman told the media that the proposal floated by the PPP CEC would be taken up for discussion at the PDM leadership today in Lahore.
Maryam Nawaz also endorsed the opinion of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, saying that first Bilawal would be listened to, and then any decision would be taken with mutual consultation.
According to the PML-N sources, majority of the party leaders are also in favour of contesting the by-elections.
However, they said the final decision would be taken after mutual consultations with the PDM leaders in today’s meeting.
The PDM has given the deadline of January 31, 2021 to Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign, “otherwise, the alliance of the opposition parties would give a countrywide call for decisive long-march on February 1, 2021.”
The PDM had also sought the members of the assemblies of the opposition alliance to submit their resignations to their respective party heads by Dec 31, 2020.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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