ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman revealed her party’s chairman Asif Ali Zardari had telephoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif to discuss the election of Senate opposition leader but instead was informed by the deposed prime minister’s co-in-law Ishaq Dar that Sharif is not available for a conversation.
Sherry made the revelation in an interview with a private television channel. She said that Dar, when told about the matter, bluntly responded the matter could not be discussed.
On the other hand, the PPP had never walked away from discussing anything with its opposition allies, she said. “Look at the recent PML-N move where it had approached the PPP to discuss the NA-249 by-election in Karachi. We openly welcomed them and talked and conveyed them that we could talk to our committee.”
Sherry said that the PPP was in favour of civilised politics because of its history. “Zardari said in the PDM meeting to Sharif that he has a son and Sharif has a daughter, implying they should go to jail collectively.”
She also maintained the PPP’s record was in front of all of the people who were speaking on inflation and other issues in the Senate for the last three years. “Looking at the record, you will know which party’s speeches were prominent as opposition,” she said.
Sherry said that it was up to the party whether it wanted to “empower the selected and hybrid government or oppose them”.
“Our targets are to criticise this government’s policies, transparency, and make them accountable in front of people and want to make better policies. People will look at those elements who are dividing the opposition,” she said.
She also downplayed a question about party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s former spokesperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar’s statement about receiving votes from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).
“Mustafa is a young and first-time senator from Sindh. He may have not known the facts that the PPP did not get votes from registered BAP senators. An independent group of four senators was formed and voted for the PPP leader,” she said.
