ISLAMABAD: Gulf within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has widened as Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have intensified lobbying to win maximum votes for the slot of leader of the opposition in the Senate.
Sources in the PDM have informed Pakistan Today that in order to win the slot of the leader of the opposition in the Senate, both the PPP and PML-N need the support of at least 26 senators – a number both the parties lack.
The PML-N has 17 members in the Senate as Ishaq Dar has not taken his oath and his membership has been suspended. The sources said the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and National Party (NP) have assured to support the PML-N.
The sources said that the PML-N is better placed to win the leader of the opposition slot in the Senate as the PkMAP, National Party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) have assured support to the PML-N.
The sources said that PkMAP and NP have two members each in the Senate while the support of five JUI-F senators, bringing the total of PML-N supporters to 26.
On the other hand, the PPP sources said that the party has 21 senators, while it has the support of ANP and BNP–Mengal.
“There are two members of ANP and BNP–Mengal in the Senate. With their support, the number of our members has increased to 25. We also need the support of another member to make it 26. We are contacting Jama’at Islami for this support,” the sources said and added that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is trying to get one vote of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
It may be recalled that differences cropped between the PPP and the PDM over the issue of resignations from the assemblies and also on the election of Sherry Rehman or Yousaf Raza Gilani as leader of the opposition in the Senate.
However, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have strongly opposed the idea of Bilawal and asked him to stick to the original agreement agreed upon in the PDM meeting according to which the alliance had to support Yousaf Raza Gilani for the slot of Senate chairman while the PML-N would get the slot of leader of the opposition in the Senate.
The JUI-F’s Abdul Ghafoor Haideri had to rely on deputy chairman Senate slot but both Gilani and Haideri lost to ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominees in Senate election. The PML-N has nominated Azam Nazir Tarar and Sadia Abbasi for the slot of leader of the opposition.
If the PDM falls apart, there would be an interesting contest between the PPP and PML-N nominees for the slot of leader of the opposition in the Senate as both sides almost are relying on PDM Senators for support.
With the gulf between PPP and its allies in the PDM growing, party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has intensified contacts with like-minded opposition parties hinting at an independent opposition alliance in the making.
Well informed sources in the PPP say that the young chairman was contacting opposition parties to explore the possibility of an independent opposition alliance. However, another party leader said that Bilawal was trying to win as much support for the election of the leader of the opposition in the Senate.
The PPP chairman on Sunday telephoned Baloch nationalist and National Party (NP) Chief Dr Abdul Malik and discussed with him the ongoing political situation. Later in the day, Bilawal also visited the headquarters of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), known as Mansura, in Lahore and met with JI’s Amir Siraj-ul-Haq.
“The chairman discussed the formation of an effective opposition alliance of like-minded political parties. He was accompanied by former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf among others,” the PPP sources said.
The sources said that after differences cropping up between the PDM, the PPP chairman believes that it is about time to look for new allies as it seems difficult to move forward with PDM’s major parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F).
“Once he identifies the potential partners, the PPP chairman would share the idea for a new alternative political alliance,” the sources claimed.
The sources alleged that the PPP chairman is also expected to meet with more political party heads in the next few days.
Reportedly, the PPP chairman has summoned Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed and Hassan Murtaza to Bilawal House Lahore today (Tuesday) for an emergent meeting to further crystalise the idea.
It may be recalled that differences cropped between the PPP and the PDM over the issue of resignations from the assemblies as well as on the election of Sherry Rehman or Yousaf Raza Gilani as leader of the opposition in the Senate.
However, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have strongly opposed the idea and have asked Bilawal to stick to the original agreement, according to which the alliance had to support Yousaf Raza Gilani for the slot of Senate Chairman while the PML-N would get the slot of leader of the opposition in the Senate.
The JUI-F’s Abdul Ghafoor Haideri had to rely on the deputy chairman Senate slot but both Gilani and Haideri lost to ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominees in the Senate election. The PML-N has nominated Azam Nazir Tarar and Sadia Abbasi for the slot of leader of the opposition.
If the PDM falls apart, there would be an interesting contest between the PPP and PML-N nominees for the slot of leader of the opposition in the Senate as both sides almost are relying on PDM Senators for support.
BILAWAL DENIES ALLEGATIONS OF BEING ‘SELECTED’:
After his meeting with JI’s Siraj-ul-Haq, the PPP chairman addressed a press conference in Lahore where he denied any rumours of him being “selected”. These rumours arose after Maryam Nawaz had said that another selected was “being prepared.”
Bilawal maintained that the idea of being selected was not a part of his pedigree, but that another family in Lahore had a history of such acts.
“I have arrived here at the Jamaat-e-Islami’s headquarters today and am speaking to you with Siraj-ul-Haq Sahab. If I wanted to comment on the PML-N’s vice-president, I would have asked my [party’s] vice-president to comment on it,” he said.
Regarding the long march, he said that his party was ready to take part in the march, but questioned who had decided to link the long march with the resignations ten days prior to the march itself.
Bilawal added that the PPP had already booked rooms in Islamabad, but the matter of the resignations being tied to the march should have been brought up with the discussions were first taking place.
In response to a question, Bilawal said people whose decisions proved wrong should review them. “It was the PPP’s position that [the PDM] should contest the Senate polls and by-elections. By doing this, we gave the government setbacks,” he said.
Speaking to the press, JI Chief Siraj-ul-Haq called for a single institution that would hold everyone accountable. “This is the first government which is asking for the chief election commissioner to resign,” he said.
Siraj voiced the need for electoral reforms, saying that without them, episodes like the Daska by-polls would happen again.
The two leaders, during their meeting, agreed on working together on the issues of occupied Kashmir and electoral reforms.
