PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has summoned the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on April 11 at Bilawal House Karachi to discuss a show-cause notice issued to it by the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) as well as resignation from the assemblies.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the party’s CEC will also discuss the ongoing political situation in the country. He said the PPP had earlier postponed the CEC meeting due to the National Assembly and Senate sessions. “Members who cannot attend the meeting due to coronavirus will participate via video link,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the ANP has withdrawn from the PDM after the opposition alliance served it a show-cause notice seeking its justification for supporting PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani for the opposition leader in Senate’s office, while PPP was asked to explain within a week why it did not first obtain the consent of the parties of the opposition alliance.
Earlier in the day, Opposition Leader in Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani said PML-N “does not want to resign” from the assemblies and is “blaming PPP for the setbacks” faced by the PDM. Gilani, speaking to media in Islamabad, said the decision to resign from the assemblies would be taken in the party’s Central Executive Committee meeting. “Even if PPP decides in its meeting to resign from the assemblies, PML-N will not do it,” he said.
Earlier this week, Gilani had said it was Bilawal’s decision to seek Balochistan Awami Party’s (BAP) support in helping him secure the office. The former prime minister revealed that he had no interest in the office, however, party chairman Bilawal took the decision of having him appointed to it.
Gilani’s declaration as opposition leader in the Senate has caused a divide in the PDM. The PML-N says one of its own should have assumed the role as was “pre-decided” at the time of the Senate chairman election, while PPP argues it had the numbers to its favour in the Senate, and so, its party candidate had a right to the position. Things reached a point on Tuesday where ANP went as far as to withdraw from the alliance after show-cause notices were issued to it. The ANP was issued a notice for supporting the PPP in its efforts to get Gilani elected by roping in senators from the government’s ally BAP to complete the numbers required.
The numbers comprised 21 senators from the PPP itself, two senators from the Awami National Party, one senator of the Jamaat-i-Islami, two independents from FATA and a group of four ‘independents’ led by Senator Dilawar Khan that had broken away from BAP to support Gilani’s candidature.