ISLAMABAD: The joint parliamentary party meeting of the combined opposition has been convened to meet in the Parliament House ahead of the voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the election of the new Leader of the House in the National Assembly on Saturday (today).
The meeting, to be chaired by opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, would be attended by members from all the opposition parties, besides the former government-allied parties that have now joined forces with the opposition to oust Prime Minister Khan.
The PML-N sources said that the meeting would discuss its strategy for the voting on the no-confidence motion and the election of the new leader of the House. Besides, Shehbaz Sharif, the meeting would be attended by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, BNP-Mengal chief Akhtar Mengal, JUI-F parliamentary leader Asad Mahmood, and others.
The members will also be informed about the procedure for election of the new Leader of the House. According to the sources, a request has been made with the National Assembly Secretariat for arranging 210 seats for the parliamentary party meeting.
They further stated that the joint opposition has also devised a counter-strategy with its legal team in case of any possible violation of the Supreme Court’s decision with regard to voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, besides warning officials of the National Assembly Secretariat of repercussions in case of creating any hindrance in implementation on the apex court’s orders.
They said that the joint opposition has consulted the legal team and has worked out a plan of action on various possibilities.
Meanwhile, the sources maintained the opposition has also warned the secretary, additional secretary, officers, and staff of the National Assembly in this regard to avoid taking illegal orders from the government with a view to create any hindrance in the voting process as well as the elections of the new leader of the house.
In a statement over Twitter, Shehbaz, who would be the joint candidate of the combined opposition for the slot of the leader of the house, stated that the no-confidence motion would prove to be an important milestone in getting Pakistan out of its problems. “Pakistan needs collective wisdom, unity and consensus…We have to reach out to the people who are suffering from inflation,” he added.
Shehbaz said that with the provision of employment, the stoves of the poor have to be re-ignited, and Pakistan’s position and relations in the international arena have to be restored on the basis of national dignity and interests.
“It is a test of the leadership in the most difficult times and, by the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan will be successful in this test,” he stated, adding that with the collective efforts, the economy of the country would be brought back on the right track.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022