LALA MUSA: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that the Pakistan People’s Party will decide about the participation in the bye-elections after intra-party consultation. Talking to a private media channel, Qamar Zaman Kaira said despite being a coalition partner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, PPP is independent in making political decisions.

Replying to a question about reasons for not announcing elections following the dissolution of two provincial assemblies, Kaira responded that by-elections were scheduled on fewer seats while the election of two provinces was a major exercise to be completed.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has decided to take up a proposal of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to boycott the upcoming by-poll on the National Assembly seats with PPP candidates. It was learnt that PPP chairman has summoned party candidates contesting by-polls on Punjab and KP seats to Islamabad to discuss PDM proposal of not taking part in by-elections scheduled for March 16 and 19. The PPP chairman will consult with each party leader and final decision on boycotting NA by-elections would be taken after party meeting, they say.

The PDM leadership, in the virtual meeting held with top leadership of the PPP last week, had proposed not to take part in by-elections of the National Assembly as the united stance of the ruling coalition. Following the meeting, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari held a virtual meeting with the parliamentary board of the party and discusses the PDM proposal.

However, there was a difference of opinion among PPP leaders on the proposal because some supported it but others opposed it. It is pertinent to mention here that by-polls on 33 NA seats would be held on March 16.