ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday agreed that if the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) fails to submit resignations of its lawmakers to the alliance, the nine parties of the alliance would pursue with the alliance’s decision to carry forward long march and resignations from assemblies.
Sources said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz had telephoned Fazl to discuss the future strategy and the two leaders have consulted on the future political strategy of the PDM alliance.
During the talks, the two leaders said that they were waiting for the response of the PPP on the issue of resignations. It was also agreed to convene a meeting of the PDM after the response of the PPP is submitted.
Sources said that the two leaders also discussed the strategy for the long march and resignations. Nawaz and Fazl also discussed the option of en masse arrests if needed.
Reportedly, Fazl said: “We will not stop the long march. We have instructed the workers to start preparations for the march. The real issue is not power but an attempt to win the support of the people”.
The PDM president once again made it clear that “we want to bring all the parties in the PDM together”.
It may be recalled that three days ago, the PDM meeting in Islamabad was chaired by Fazl, in which nine parties supported his resignation from the assemblies before the long march, while the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) opposed it.
The PDM leadership gave the PPP some time to agree to resign. Fazl had announced that the long march should be postponed till the response of the PPP.
PPP CEC TO DECIDE ON RESIGNATIONS ON APRIL 4:
On the other hand, the PPP has convened a meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) on April 4 to decide on the issue of the en masse resignations. The party’s top decision-making body would convene on April 4 in the federal capital as the party has also decided to observe the death anniversary of its founding chairman Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
Sources said that after the public meeting at Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi, a meeting of the CEC will be held in which the central leadership including party chief Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will also attend.
