ISLAMABAD: As the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) January 31 deadline given to Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign lapsed, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari put the opposition alliance to another test, saying that they must “force the removal of puppets”.
However, Bilawal did not give a date for PDM’s long march or resignations from assemblies.
In a series of tweets, the PPP chief said that the premier had failed to resign by the deadline, which gave the “illegitimate regime an opportunity to step aside respectfully” and allow a transition to democracy with free, fair and transparent elections.
Saying that Pakistanis face historic poverty, unemployment and inflation because the government was “forced” on them, Bilawal said that the joint opposition “must now force the removal of puppets”, adding that his party believes in democratic tactics and “sustained efforts inside and outside” of the parliament will lead to success.
Bilawal said that the PDM will discuss the long march and no-confidence motion plans “hopefully” during their meeting. But Bilawal did not give a date for the PDM meeting, though the alliance had scheduled a meeting on February 1 to announce long march against the PTI government in its December 14 presser.
Bilawal also accused the government of trying to change the rules to “rig” Senate elections because they can see their defeat. He added that, God willing, the Senate elections will show that the government is on a “shaky ground”.
He also told the establishment to leave political battles to politicians, otherwise they would risk being drawn into controversies. “Only a government chosen by the people can deliver for the people,” he added.
On Sunday, as the deadline passed without any announcement from the opposition, the federal government taunted the PDM leaders, reminding them that the deadline was over, and the opposition was unable to submit en masse resignations from national and provincial assemblies per their announced schedule.
Perhaps these statements forced Bilawal to break his silence and post tweets without giving any clear date for the PDM’s long march.
Earlier, adding fuel to the fire, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the media in Multan that the PDM should fulfil its desire to bring a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran.
“The opposition alliance is about to disintegrate. The PDM alliance is full of contradictions. Those who vowed to send the government packing are now fighting for their survival, because the unnatural alliance of PDM is falling apart,” said Qureshi. He said that the PDM is fighting for its survival and neither any no-confidence motion nor resignations would be submitted.
“The government and its allies will fight the no-confidence motion, if filed. But everyone knows it is not coming anytime soon,” he asserted.
Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar also posted a sarcastic tweet on social media site, Twitter.
“I heard that a resignation is coming today. Those which they [PDM] had sought from us [PTI] those were never to be given. Leave others too. But where are the ones which were to be given by Murtaza [Javed] Abbasi etc??? Did you throw those [resignations] at your own face,” tweeted Asad in an apparent reference to a speech of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz who had asked Murtaza Javed Abbasi and brother of Captain (r) Safdar not to withdraw their resignations which they mistakenly sent to the National Assembly speaker.
However, both Abbasi and Sajjad Awan, brother-in-law of Maryam, did not press for their resignations.
Shehbaz Gill also posted a tweet, reminding the PDM leadership that it was time to tender resignations.
“Today is January 31. Today was your day to resign. The ink of vows of your resignations has not have dried yet. If you could not throw these resignations at face of others, get it on your own face. Blacken your faces or the people will blacken your faces. Those pen who write resignations would never write NROs and run towards Jeddah,” Gill wrote in an apparent jibe at Sharif family who had flown to Saudi Arabia after striking a deal with former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf in the year 2000.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PDM leader on December 14 last year had demanded the PTI-led government quit by January 31 or face an intensified opposition movement, including a long march to the capital and en masse resignations of the opposition parties from assemblies.
The demand was made by PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman while speaking to the media in Lahore alongside PML-N’s Maryam, PPP Chairman Bilawal and other opposition leaders.
As part of the anti-government movement, Fazl said that lawmakers from PDM member parties in the national and provincial assemblies will hand in their resignations to their party leaders by December 31.
“Today, we want to make clear to the government that it should resign by January 31,” the JUI-F leader said.
He said that if the government refuses to quit by that time, a meeting of the PDM’s leadership on February 1 will announce a long march towards Islamabad, the date of which will also be decided during the meeting.
“All party workers in PDM and the people of Pakistan are appealed to start preparations for the long march from today,” Fazl added.
However, the opposition alliance leaders had changed its stance continuously as differences on resignations and long march have delayed their anti-government movement.
According to informed sources, Fazl has requested PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N supremo Nawaz to ban all statements from their respective party leaders to remove the impression of deep-down differences on the alliance decisions.
“Fazl has requested Nawaz and Zardari to ban all statements on PDM issues. Rather, he himself would appoint a focal person to issue statements on PDM decisions so as the impression of deep-down fissures on PDM decisions could be removed,” a source said.
Sources said that Fazl wanted that only one specific person should be allowed to speak on the PDM matters so as all the parties of the alliance could speak with a single voice on the future strategy.
They said that Nawaz and Zardari had promised to ban statements on PDM and soon Fazl would appoint a focal person to comment on the PDM decisions.
