Politics

‘Leadership-level’ meeting to be held today between PDM, PPP: Fazl

Published

3 years ago

Farwa

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Monday that the alliance of opposition parties that he heads would be holding a crucial meeting with the PPP at the “leadership level” today.

He said this while speaking to the media in Islamabad after a meeting with PPP leader Khursheed Shah, who was standing alongside him during the press talk.

“So far, the information that we have shared is encouraging and God willing, the nation will see results that will meet their expectations,” Fazl said.

Moreover, Khursheed Shah said the details of the meeting would also be shared with the media.

The meeting between the PDM and PPP will be taking place as the opposition steps up efforts to table a no-confidence motion against the government.

On February 11, Fazl had announced that the PDM would be tabling a no-trust motion against the premier and will take the government’s allies on board to ensure that they had enough votes in the National Assembly to succeed.

Since then, an apparent bonhomie has been developing between opposition parties on this front, with the PDM and PPP joining hands to make the no-confidence move a success.

Opposition had been reaching out to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) allies in the centre to seek their support, notably the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid.

Last week, PDM spokesperson Hafiz Hamdullah had issued a statement that quoted Fazl as saying that the opposition would submit the no-confidence motion in the next 48 hours.

While the plan is yet to be realised, Fazl told media persons today that the no-trust move would be tabled soon.

“It will happen before 48 hours,” he said.

When a reporter pointed out that the opposition had not given a final date for submitting the confidence motion, he replied: “We have always played this game with you. We never share all details and keep some hidden. And this keeps you busy. [We are employing] that tactic here [as well].”

Moreover, PPP’s Shah said the time for tabling the no-trust move would be discussed and decided at the meeting with PDM leaders today.

To a question about whether the PDM had the support of the PTI’s allies for the no-trust move, Fazl said, “When we say the majority is united against them (the PTI), understand for yourself what this means.”

In this regard, Shah was asked whether opposition parties had finalised matters with the ruling party’s allies.

To this, he said, “Everything will be fine. Don’t worry.”

In reply to another question about PPP having invited the PDM to join its anti-government march, Shah said Fazl had been invited but the meeting that was to take place today was the priority and “these matters will be decided there”.

When Fazl was asked whether the opposition had the support of estranged PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, he said he was not in contact with him.

To another question about the chances of opposition parties staying united against the government, he explained that each situation had a different requirement and “we have to forget the past”.

He said there may be disagreements and differences between political parties, “but I believe that even the public would not appreciate if we repeat our actions of the past”.

Asked to respond to a hard-hitting speech by PM Imran in Vehari yesterday, in which he warned the opposition to be prepared for what he would do to them once their planned no-confidence motion against him failed, Fazl remarked, “This is the real Imran,” who used offensive language.

He said the no-trust move was a political process and “who is he to threaten us”.

“Our workers too have clubs … in their houses and ready to fight on every front,” he added.

Latest News

PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

Published

13 hours ago

Farwa

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

Latest News

Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

Latest News

A bill pertaining to the number of Supreme Court justices will soon be presented.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recently met, and the inside story of their conversation has revealed important political developments.

The leaders talked about a variety of constitutional and governance matters, including the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, according to sources.

One of the primary outcomes of the conference was the decision to expeditiously introduce a bill in parliament that would increase the number of judges on the Supreme Court. Immediately after it is introduced in parliament, this law is expected to be approved in a matter of days.

In addition, the recently ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment was discussed, with particular attention paid to creating a system for the establishment of constitutional benches at the federal and provincial levels. The formation of constitutional benches would be the subject of formal meetings, they agreed.

Furthermore, the leaders examined the pending measure concerning the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) municipal authority, which has been sent to the appropriate committee for additional assessment.

They also discussed the implementation of an agreement on Punjabi issues between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). According to sources, the conference also discussed the status of an agreement over fund release and administrative jobs in Punjab.

Bilawal Bhutto was reassured by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the federal government would continue to support continued development initiatives in Sindh.

PM Sharif and Bilawal met on Sunday at the premier’s Model Town home in Lahore, where they talked about the newly ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment and pledged to support Pakistan’s parliamentary system and democracy.

As a historic step, Bilawal Bhutto celebrated the 26th Constitutional Amendment’s adoption during the meeting. He said: “We will work together to strengthen democracy and parliament.”

In agreement, Shehbaz credited the amendment’s accomplishment to the combined efforts of all coalition members. He promised that his commitment to the people would not falter and reiterated his commitment to public service.