Daily Times

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Saturday said if PML-N will bring a charge sheet against PPP, then they also have a charge sheet against the PML-N, as it lambasted the PML-N for supporting PTI in Punjab and holding a ‘secret meeting’ of PDM parties to make a new bloc of 27 senators.

“PML-N should tender apology for electing unopposed senators in Punjab and for helping a candidate of PTI win over Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s unanimous candidate Farhatullah Babar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” PPP Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri said. “Rana Sanaullah should apologise to PPP for electing unopposed senators in Punjab with the help of PTI instead of seeking an apology from PPP,” she asserted.

The PPP’s statement comes a day after five opposition parties announced to form a new opposition bloc in the Senate and decided that a ‘show-cause’ notice be issued to PPP and Awami National Party (ANP) for ‘deviating’ from an earlier formula of seat distribution in the Upper House.

The PPP said that PDM is the name of an alliance formed against government and that the PML-N will have to explain its use against the opposition parties. “PPP nominated Yousaf Raza Gilani and got him elected as opposition leader as a majority party in Senate which is not a crime,” Marri said. “PPP and ANP will raise the issue related to calling a secret meeting of certain parties of opposition alliance in upcoming PDM meeting. We will ask from PDM chief Fazl ur Rehman that why opposition alliance is being used against the opposition parties and at whose behest a conspiracy was hatched against the long march by demanding resignations from assemblies as to save the government,” she added.

The PPP asked if resignations were so necessary, then why is the PML-N still sitting in the assemblies. “On one hand, there is talk of running an opposition alliance without the PPP and on the other hand, the PML-N is not ready to resign without the PPP,” Marri wondered.

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Saturday said the PPP has delayed its Central Executive Committee (CEC) – scheduled for April 5 – after President Arif Alvi convened a Senate session on the same day.

The PPP had called the CEC meeting to decide on resignations from assemblies after its leadership came under fire from the opposition parties over the issue.

The PPP chairman, while announcing the decision during a media briefing in Khairpur, said he aspires for a united opposition and hopes PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman would play his role to unify them. The PPP leader said he had advised the PML-N to do ‘politics of tolerance’. “PML-N should also be happy for PPP’s achievements,” he said, referring to Yousaf Raza Gilani’s appointment as the leader of the opposition in Senate.

Praying Maulana Fazl recovers quickly, he said it was the JUI-F chief’s responsibility as PDM’s head to unite the opposition parties against the government. “Misrepresentation is not good for any party,” he said, adding, “I don’t believe any party needs to be persuaded […] PDM was formed to bring down the government.”

The PPP chairman told the opposition parties that serious decisions must be taken in politics. “We do not wish to get into a fight with anyone.” He said as Shahbaz Sharif is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, keeping contact with him is inevitable. “PPP aspires for opposition parties to remain united and work together. If we don’t, it will benefit Imran Khan. Even today, I think if we target the government instead of fighting among ourselves, we can achieve success.”

Bilawal lamented that the PPP was the only political party opposing the incumbent government and called upon the members of the opposition to cast differences aside and unite against the government. He said it had been the “good luck” of the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan that the opposition didn’t move a motion of no-confidence against him after the government’s defeat in the election for the Islamabad Senate seat. “Sadly, from the Senate elections up until now, only the PPP has been opposing the government and the PTI’s puppet system whether that is in Punjab or the federation. The rest of our friends in the opposition, they’re doing opposition with the opposition (PPP),” he said, adding that only Prime Minister Imran Khan was benefitting from this lack of unity among the opposition and it was the opposition’s failure that it couldn’t expose “Imran Khan’s effort to snatch the independence of the State Bank [and] couldn’t expose Imran Khan’s hypocrisy as far as Kashmir is concerned”.