ISLAMABAD: The efforts to keep the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) united suffered a major blow on Sunday as the opposition alliance President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) decided to resist a bid by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to bring in its own nominee as leader of the opposition in the Senate.
With an aim to keep the PDM on the same page, head of the opposition alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, called on PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Opposition Leader of Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz in Jati Umra.
As per details of the meeting, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head met the PML-N leaders to discuss future strategy regarding long march and resignations from the parliament.
It emerged that Fazl and Maryam decided during the meeting to resist the PPP’s bid to secure the leader of opposition’s slot which in principle had been awarded by the alliance to the PML-N’s nominee, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar.
PDM has postponed the long march for an indefinite period after the PPP, a key member of the alliance, refused to resign from assemblies and stressed to continue the movement from within the parliament.
Fazl has said that apart from PPP, all parties have agreed on giving resignations from assemblies. He said that PPP has sought more time for consultation on the issue.
PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had said that be it long march or no-confidence motion against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif must return to Pakistan.
“This is not the first time that the democratic forces have encountered rigging,” he said and added he had spent 14 years of his life in jail.
After the meeting at Jati Umra, the two senior leaders of the opposition alliance addressed the media, where Fazl said that the PDM would be present during Maryam Nawaz’s hearing on March 26 with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a show of solidarity.
“The apparent reasons cited by NAB have exposed the bureau for the puppet institution it is. It has approached the court for cancellation of [Maryam’s] bail on the basis that she speaks against institutions.
“So the institution has been formed not to combat corruption but to serve other institutions,” he said.
Fazl maintained that the workers of the PDM will number in the thousands. Furthermore, he shot down any rumours of a rift within the alliance after the appointment of Yousaf Raza Gillani was appointed as the leader of the opposition in the Senate.
“PDM is not only united, through mutual consultations we have matters under control. We all have to move ahead forward. The nine parties that have a particular ideology will request the PPP to respect their viewpoint,” he said.
Fazl said that nine parties of the PDM are united on one principle while the PPP has yet to make a decision. He added that the PDM would wait for the decision of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) – which will meet in April – so that the alliance can move forward effectively.
“The PDM is united and we are trying to resolve our internal issues mutually. We are trying to find a solution and we are ready to consider further the arguments of the PPP. We will effectively improve our issues with the PPP and will wait for the decision of the PPP CEC. We will tell the PPP to agree on the decision of nine parties,” he said.
He said that the PDM is united and we have to move together while the people of Pakistan will stand by the sovereignty of the country.
He said that there was a detailed discussion with Maryam on the situation facing the country.
“NAB has summoned Maryam Nawaz on March 26. I wonder whether the NAB has been tasked to serve and represent the state institutions? The reasons given for Maryam Nawaz’s NAB summoning have exposed the NAB. PDM workers and leaders will be present on the occasion of Maryam Nawaz’s appearance in NAB,” he warned.
Fazl maintained that the government’s actions have become a threat to national defence and inflation has broken the people at large.
“The government has set a new record in inflation and price hike. The recent hike in electricity tariff is terrible as power price has been increased by Rs 6/unit. This would add to the woes of the people,” he said.
On the occasion, the PML-N VP said: “I am sure [anyone who opposes this] can be made to understand that when a decision in principle is made, there is no need to revisit it.”
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Maryam said that the alliance leadership was trying to ensure that all the parties in the PDM remain united.
“There is no room for change after anyone’s defeat. All PDM parties supported Yousuf Raza Gillani in the Senate elections but it has been decided in principle that the opposition leader in the Senate will be from PML-N. In principle, all parties will abide by this decision. I have also spoken to Fazl regarding this issue,” she said.
PML-N VP further said that baseless reports of differences between her and Hamza were spread.
“Lies are a curse. Reports of differences between Hamza and me are shameful,” she said. Attacking Prime Minister Imran Khan, Maryam said that his “incompetence” has gripped the entire country and the PDM will not allow the government to come out of the mess at any point.
The PML-N vice president added that the talks are underway between PPP and PML-N over the NA-249 election in which PML-N candidate Miftah Ismail is a contender. “We will let you know when a decision is reached,” she said.
In reply to a question about the so-called rift, Maryam said that the future of Prime Minister Imran is not tied to that with that of the PDM, but with his own performance.
Maryam said that the PDM will demand an answer to this “incompetence” from the government and will “fully represent and safeguard” the interests of the people. “We will not allow the government to escape from the backdoor,” she said.
Separately, the PML-N VP on Sunday, while pointing fingers at the NAB, said that she was not afraid of imprisonment.
Addressing PML-N Youth Convention in Lahore, she said that she was not speaking against the institutions but was exposing the anti-graft watchdog and she will definitely appear before the Bureau on March 26.
Maryam said that everyone said PML-N’s game was over but we defeated the government in their stronghold, adding that despite being on the same page, the government could not win a single by-election.
The PML-N VP said that the anti-graft agency accused her of speaking against the institutions but who gave them the power to judge her statements.
She said: “Time has gone when the NAB would arrest whenever it wanted, adding that the Bureau arrested her when she was with her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Mian Sahib said you should have waited for Maryam to come out and asked ordered them [NAB] to arrest the daughter in front of the father.”
“I have rendered many sacrifices and it is time to take stock of all the sacrifices that she had made,” she added.
She went on to say that the PML-N supremo had been ousted over a mere iqama, adding that the vision of her party is to end load-shedding, complete China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and spread motorways around the country, while the vision of PM Imran is eggs, cows, hens and justifying every step taken against the constitution.
During the, she claimed that former prime minister Nawaz has been receiving threats that she [Maryam] would be killed if she does not stop making fiery speeches.
“I told Nawaz Sharif that life and death are in the hands of Allah, not in the hands of NAB [National Accountability Bureau] or the government,” she said.
Maryam said that those who would say that Nawaz’s politics has come to an end “are now scared of him while he is sitting in London”. She claimed her father Nawaz, the three-time former premier, was removed from power in 2017 over false allegations.
A prominent political leader of the country told me that Nawaz was removed from power by “selectors” because he became very popular among the masses, Maryam claimed.
Referring to late accountability court judge Arshad Malik, Maryam said that he had also admitted that he had announced a verdict against Nawaz in assets beyond means case “under duress”. She said that now attempts were being made to intimidate PML-N members to change their political loyalties.
