Pakistan Democratic Movement: No party has authority to bring or expel another: Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, Friday, asserted that no single party within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has the authority to bring or expel another party from the opposition's alliance, saying that the PDM's Friday meeting would exchange views on possible return of the PPP and the ANP into the alliance, besides chalking out a joint strategy for the forthcoming budget session in the parliament.

Talking to media persons after meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, JUI-F chief and PDM president, Shehbaz Sharif said that the PDM's meeting is taking place on Saturday (today) which would be presided over by Maulana Fazlur Rehman and to be attended by all the member parties.

"You would be updated on whatever decision is taken with consensus," the PML-N president said in response to a question whether the PPP and the ANP were being brought back to the PDM.

"PML-N is one of the parties in the PDM alliance. No single party has the authority to bring another party or expel another party from the PDM. It is a forum and all the decisions are taken with consensus and these decisions are announced by the president after a consensus is evolved," he further stated, adding that he had hosted the parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties in the National Assembly and Senate for a dinner "which had nothing to do with the PDM."

"This is a misperception which needs to be addressed. The dinner has nothing to do with the PDM and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has already made it clear in this regard," he added.

When asked about his personal stance on the two parties return to the PDM, Shehbaz stated that he does not have a "personal opinion" and what he says is always the party's position.

He said that as opposition leader in the National Assembly it was his responsibility to consult the opposition parties on the national issues, including the forthcoming budget.

He also lashed out at the PTI government for its "failed" economic policies to give any relief to the people. He criticised the government for its "failure" to launch a massive vaccination drive across the country to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, PDM chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman, while talking about the national internal and external situation, said that internally, the country's institutions need reforms but the government instead of reforming the institutions was destroying them.

He added that the government has provided ground and air facilities to America to operate in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal from the Afghan soil, which will have serious implications for Pakistan.

He blamed the government for "selling out" Kashmir along with Kashmiris to India just to improve ties with the Indian government, saying governments in the past could have done so but no past set up compromised Kashmir issue to improve bilateral relations with India.

He said that a totally incompetent group of people has been imposed on the country, which posed serious internal and external threats to the nation. He said that there was no room for the politics of drawing rooms.

He maintained that the present regime has compromised Pak-China relations, adding that giving land and air facilities to the US military will also result in angering neighbouring Iran.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021