Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan has said that there is no disagreement between Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, adding that he has spent an entire day with the father and son and he witnesses no difference of opinion between them over nomination for the Senate’s top slot.

Talking to journalists on Saturday, Ahsan said that Salim Mandviwala was the top choice at the moment for being nominated as Senate chairman, adding that Mandviwala was also given the authority to ask for votes.

He even claimed that firstly the PPP candidate would succeed and secondly it would be a unanimous victory.

With only two days to go and no final candidate officially singled out for the coveted position all political parties are busy trying to lock down the numbers.

All front-runners claim to have the numbers, PML-N backed Hasil Bizenjo, the PPP claims, it too, has the numbers while the PTI has made it clear neither of the two parties will get its support.

After the PTI decision not to support PPP or PML-N, the PPP, sources claim, is working on plan-B; nominating Raza Rabbani for the chairman’s post.

Sources also claim that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is playing a key role in the party’s plan-B and it is only after Raza Rabbani’s meeting with Bilawal that work on plan-B has picked up pace.

Meanwhile, Aitzaz Ahsan on Saturday said that both Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif had always tried to sabotage the judiciary and people around them had faced trouble because of the top PML-N duo.

Aitzaz maintained that the Sharifs “have always created a tempo, adding that if the judgment is against them, they start belittling the SC, carry out protests and create chaos.

“They are blatantly disgracing the court and I am sure that they will eventually get punishment in the Avenfield case,” he remarked.

“Nawaz, Maryam, Hasan Hussain haven’t given a single money trail. There’s no proof that they are innocent. They are creating a tempo to break the walls of the of the courts and jail, not even the doors to runaway,” he added.

Responding to a question on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and PPP coming to a collective agreement over the Senate chairman, he said: “Both parties have given their statements and stance and you will see that PPP’s nominee will win and it is possible that he/she will get selected by the majority.”

When asked if the Supreme Court is scared of the Sharifs, he said “If the SC is not calling on the Sharifs right now, it is probably good in a way, the trial judgement would be better since they have zero defence. Prosecution doesn’t get anything. They are the ones who will give the money trail. It’s my personal understanding that even if the SC just keeps listening to what they are saying right now and patiently does their work, it’ll reap benefits.”

Published in Daily Times, March 11^th 2018.