Tag: Opposition

  • Electoral reforms proposed for fair and transparent elections: Govt

    Electoral reforms proposed for fair and transparent elections: Govt

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Adviser to Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, in a press conference, shared details of the government’s plans for electoral reforms for free and transparent elections within the country.

    Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs has proposed 49 amendments to the Election Amendment Bill 2020. Awan said that the reforms shall be put forth before all stakeholders, including civil society, media and Bar councils.

    Fawad Chaudhry stressed that the government wants to get the reforms passed from parliament through consensus. Chaudhry said that if the opposition parties are not ready to support the proposal for the electoral reforms, it will delay both political and democratic development within the country.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1389146375192039426

    Yesterday, Shehbaz Sharif had spurned down the proposal of using an electronic voting system (EVS). He was responding to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tweets on electoral reforms.

    PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif rejected PM’s proposal to use electronic voting machine. In a statement posted on Twitter, Shehbaz said, “Electronic voting system is rejected by the whole world. Pakistan Election Commission (ECP) has declared it unworkable. Such important national tasks cannot be performed at the request or order of an individual.”

    He further added that electoral reforms are a rather sensitive issue. “Electoral reforms can only take place after consultation of all parties, in the light of public opinion and through consensus.”

    “Instead of electronic voting, the government should worry about a ruined economy, skyrocketing inflation, unemployment and the ever increasing mortality rates,” Shehbaz Sharif added.

  • Opposition parties criticise PTI govt over TLP protests

    Sunday’s clashes between the Punjab Police and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers led to reactions from various political parties as well as religious groups. Here is a recap:

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Addressing the media on Sunday night,  Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that this situation should be resolved wisely. He said that if the TLP comes to Islamabad, the JUI-F will support them. He criticised the government for declaring TLP a terrorist party.

    Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the violence in Lahore and other parts of the country. He expressed grief over the loss of lives, including those of policemen and civilians, as the direct result of the PTI government’s inability to handle the situation peacefully.

    “The real fight is about fighting against the root of the festering problem, not in just responding to the symptoms. Why has the selected government not bothered to implement the National Action Plan, or even discuss arising challenges in parliament,” said Mr Bhutto. He pointed out that the tendency to foster and coddle pressure groups through instigating ethnic, religious and sectarian hatred had begun during Zia’s regime, to squeeze mainstream national political parties. He added that it was painfully clear that we have failed to understand that no one can consistently play with fire without getting burnt themselves.

    Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the violence in Lahore. In a statement, Mr Abbasi said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) believes that “Namoos-e-Risalat (sanctity of prophethood) is the foundation of a Muslim’s ideology. No Muslim can compromise on it.” He criticised the government for its failure to establish peace in the country. “PDM stresses that peace and stability will only be established in Pakistan when it is run according to the Constitution and people’s wishes,” added Abbasi.

    Mufti Muneebur Rehman

    On Sunday night, former Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairperson Mufti Muneebur Rehman called for a countrywide strike the next day (Monday). Several otherst religious leaders have supported Mufti Muneeb’s strike call, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar:

    PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar called Maulana Fazl’s statement “irresponsible”. He said that it is not right to use what happened in Lahore for political point-scoring. Khokhar also said that Mufti Muneeb is also settling a score with the government after he was removed from his post as the chairperson of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. Khokhar asked why the government had signed an illegal and unconstitutional agreement with the TLP back in November.

    Agreement signed between PTI govt and TLP in Nov 2020

    Sindh High Court Bar Association 

    The Sindh High Court Bar Association condemned the utter failure of the PTI government to peacefully resolve this crisis. “The government’s reaction has swung from willful blindness to disproportionate and lethal force.” It also condemned the “unconstitutional gagging of electronic media in relation to the protests”.

    Meanwhile, Geo News reported that  a delegation of ulema led by Sahibzada Hamid Raza met the banned TLP chief Saad Rizvi in jail on Monday and urged him to end the protests taking place in the country by releasing a video message.

  • Friendship ended with PPP? PDM removes party leaders from WhatsApp group

    Friendship ended with PPP? PDM removes party leaders from WhatsApp group

    A day after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) finally broke silence on backstabbing allegations, expressed its reservations and later resigned from the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) along with Awami National Party (ANP), members of the parties have reportedly been removed from a WhatsApp group of the anti-government alliance.

    According to sources, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sherry Rehman, Saeed Ghani and Mian Iftikhar were removed from the WhatsApp group of the joint opposition’s steering committee.

    This came as PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman asked the PPP and ANP to reconsider their decision of resigning from the alliance.

    Addressing a press conference after chairing an important meeting of the PDM in Islamabad after resignations from PPP and ANP, Fazl said both the parties still had time to reconsider their decision and contact the PDM.

    The PDM chief said PDM was an alliance of 11 parties and decisions were made with the consensus.

    “If any party is found violating the consensus then it must be made answerable,” he said while explaining the show-cause notices to PPP and ANP, which became the latest bone of contention after Yousuf Raza Gilani’s nomination and election as Senate opposition leader.

    Both the parties had the opportunity to summon PDM meeting to give an explanation on the matter, but they decided to part ways with the alliance, Fazl maintained.

  • PDM: Done and dusted?

    PDM: Done and dusted?

    PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday announced that the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) has called upon its members to resign from all positions of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). 

    Flanked by party leaders, Bilawal held a news conference to speak about the matters that came under discussion during the recently-held Central Executive Committee meeting of the party. 

    He said the CEC had come to the conclusion that resignations from the national and provincial assemblies should be “like an atom bomb”.

    Bilawal said the PPP’s stance that the Opposition should not “abandon the Parliament and the Senate battleground” had been vindicated.

    He said if the PPP had listened to other political parties in the Opposition and boycotted the Senate elections and by-elections, then it would have harmed democracy.

    “We did not give the PTI government an open field to form a two-thirds majority in the Senate,” he said, adding that the government lost on its “own pitch” when the PDM candidate won from the Nowshera by-election.

    “We will not undermine these gains that the PPP has achieved after giving many sacrifices,” he said. “When the PML-N was in power, we protected the Parliament then and we will protect the Parliament today.”

    He said those who wanted to resign from the Parliament, should do so.

    “But, no one should try to impose their will or their dictation on any other political party,” he said. “And the Pakistan Peoples Party will continue in its firm, consistent Opposition to the selected government that has been ongoing since day one and has not broken for a single day,” stressed the PPP chairperson.

    “The Pakistan Peoples Party rejects the so-called show-cause notice,” he said. “Politics is done with equality and respect,” he added.

    “The PPP demands an unconditional apology to the ANP and to the PPP for this obnoxious attitude,” he said.

    Bilawal said the PPP stands by the ANP and would not abandon them under any circumstances. “There is no concept of show-cause notices in democratic alliances,” he said.

    He recounted the PPP’s participation in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy.

    “We condemn the politics of Opposition against members of the Opposition,” he said.

    The PPP chairperson said his party’s doors were open for all other parties, adding that there should be a “working relationship” among them.

  • ‘Dictator Maryam’ blamed for PDM’s downfall

    ‘Dictator Maryam’ blamed for PDM’s downfall

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and key leader of the opposition alliance, Maryam Nawaz has been accused of having a “dictatorial attitude” that has also been cited as the reason behind the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) downfall.

    As per the details, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders travelled to Wali Bagh, the residence of Awami National Party (ANP) head Asfandyar Wali on Thursday and held talks with him and other party leaders on the evolving political situation in the country.

    The PPP and ANP are the two parties with which the PDM is having differences ever since ex-premier Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election as the Senate opposition leader — a move deemed as betrayal by other parties of the opposition alliance.

    The ANP has already announced to quit the PDM, saying the show-cause notices over voting for Gilani were an insult to the party.

    Briefing reporters after the meeting, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the PPP would take the decision of whether or not to quit the PDM at its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting scheduled later this month.

    They blamed the “dictatorial attitude” of Maryam Nawaz for the disintegration of the alliance.

    “The split in the PDM began with the issuance of the show-cause notice,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain said, adding, it was an insult to ANP and couldn’t be tolerated.

    Meanwhile, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the PPP had proposed Maulana Fazlur Rahman as the PDM head but the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief adopted “a step-motherly attitude” towards the PPP. 

    “PPP is not subordinate to any political party.”

    He said that the PPP was ready for the “long march” to Islamabad and wanted to use resignations from the assemblies as the last option.

  • Did Gilani just throw Bilawal under the bus?

    Did Gilani just throw Bilawal under the bus?

    Former prime minister (PM) and incumbent leader of the opposition in Senate, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s decision to seek the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) lawmakers for his election to the post.

    “They approached that we, a four-member group headed by Dilawar, want to join you. They didn’t approach me, they approached chairman sahib [Bilawal],” he said.

    He made the revelation in an interview with a private media outlet, where he also said he was neither interested in the seat of the Senate chairmanship nor leader of the opposition, but it was Bilawal who made the decision.

    His nomination for the slot and ultimate win despite joint opposition’s reservations is what is the latest and apparently the biggest bone of contention between the PPP and PDM so far.

    Gilani, who was in a straight contest with PML-N candidate Azam Nazeer Tarar, had earlier denied using the votes of BAP senators, saying he had secured the seat with the support of 30 “opposition” senators.

    These included 21 members from the PPP, two from the Awami National Party, one from the Jamaat-e-Islami, two independents from erstwhile Fata (Hidayatulla and Hilalur Rahman) and four from the independent group of Dilawar Khan, who had been supporting the PML-N in the past. Other members of the group include Kaira Babar, Naseebullah Bazai and Ahmad Khan.

    Speaking in the programme on Monday, Gilani expressed support for the decision to secure votes from BAP senators and said they were disgruntled members who approached Bilawal for the post of leader of the opposition in the Senate.

    “But what is wrong in taking their support?” he questioned.

    Gilani further said that the PDM must stay intact but the decision to resign from assemblies had come out of the blue.

    He questioned what would be the next move after the resignations came, adding that this was what the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) would ask them.

    Gilani’s son and PPP member Kasim Gilani, however, has lamented “spread of disinformation” regarding the interview.

    Taking to Twitter he clarified his father’s statement.

    Meanwhile, ANP has reportedly withdrawn from the PDM after show-cause notices were issued to the party to explain their actions during the recently-held Senate polls.

    They had voted for Gilani in a move deemed betrayal by the opposition alliance but democratic right by the PPP and ANP.

  • PM tells spokespersons to ignore Opp, only highlight govt performance

    PM tells spokespersons to ignore Opp, only highlight govt performance

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed his spokespersons to highlight the government performance and has barred them from responding to the opposition’s statements.

    According to details, a meeting of government ministers and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokespersons was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan, in which the current political, economic and COVID-19 situation in the country was discussed.

    PM Imran set up a special committee on media matters. According to Dunya News sources, the committee includes Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Faisal Vawda and Yousuf Baig Mirza.

    The committee will meet on a daily basis to discuss government performance and statements.

    During the meeting, the premier – in a bid to deal with the sugar satta mafia – directed the concerned authorities to bring a new law in the country.

    In order to ensure the availability of sugar at affordable rates, the prime minister directed to launch a countrywide crackdown on the sugar satta mafia. He directed the concerned authorities to take indiscriminate action against the aforementioned mafia to provide relief to the masses ahead of the holy month of Ramzan.

    In this regard, the session of all federal spokespersons and senior government huddle, chaired by Prime Minister Imran, decided on an agenda to bring down essential commodity prices ahead of the holy month.

    Speaking to the media after the session, Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said that the PM has directed utmost relief to the people as the holy month inches closer.

    All edible and essential items must be made cheaper for the consumers and thus a direction has been made to Finance Minister Hammad Azhar to make it happen, Rasheed said.

    He added that the PM has instructed the government huddle not to be bothered in the least by the opposition as it poses no threat at all.

    The PM has instead ordered steps taken for cuts in the prices of sugar, flour, and lentil instead, he confirmed.

    We shall duly project all the steps taken by the government in this regard and the performance thereof, the minister vowed.

  • Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F joins hands with PM Imran’s PTI against PPP in Larkana?

    Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F joins hands with PM Imran’s PTI against PPP in Larkana?

    • Show-cause notices for PPP, ANP

    In an unforeseen turn of events, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has joined hands with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) in Larkana to give the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) a tough time in its stronghold, a private media outlet has reported.

    However, the media report isn’t entirely true as brother of the JUI-F chief, Senator Attaur Rehman, has rubbished the same in conversation with The Current.

    Amid widening cracks between members of the anti-government alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the media report had claimed that JUI-F has forged with the PTI and GDA a new alliance named “Larkana Awami Ittihad”.

    It had went on to add that the alliance includes PTI leaders Ammer Buz Bhutto and Allah Bux with GDA’s Moazzam Ali Khan Abbasi and Safdar Abbasi.

    “The newly-formed alliance has also announced extending the scope of the campaign against PPP in the entire Larkana division,” the report had claimed further.

    When approached for a comment, Senator Attaur Rehman rubbished all claims and maintained that his party had only supported PTI backed-GDA candidate Moazam Ali Abbasi in Larkana by-election back in 2019.

    “Even though the JUI-F and PPP have no electoral agreement to support each other’s candidates, especially in Larkana, there is no truth to the claims,” he said and added the “ages-old” alliance was making headlines only due to a recent statement by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    Last Friday, Bilawal had claimed that the JUI-F sided with the “establishment” and opposed the PPP in the said by-election. “But despite that we accepted Fazl as leader of the PDM,” he had said.

    “If that is true, did we forge an alliance with the PPP in Karachi and Ghotki also on establishment’s orders?” Senator Attaur Rehman asked.

    To a question, he categorically denied the existence of any alliance between the JUI-F and PTI. “Let sleeping dogs lie,” he said.

    Trouble has been brewing among members of the anti-government alliance since after former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani’s nomination by the PPP for the slot of opposition leader in the Senate. His election as the leader of opposition in the upper house has also only worsened the deteriorating ties.

    Many, including leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other PDM member parties, seem to believe the PPP has “backstabbed” the joint opposition.

    The report by the private media outlet and its rebuttal come soon after it was revealed that the PDM has served show-cause notices to the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP).

    While contents of the notices have not yet been disclosed, sources told The Current that they also pertain to Gilani’s election as Senate’s opposition leader despite the PDM’s reservations.

    The ANP, also a member of the PDM, had voted for Gilani.

    “They [notices] were handed to ANP’s Hidayatullah Khan and PPP’s Sherry Rehman,” sources said.

  • PML-N offers Gilani Senate chairmanship if he brings his ’31 votes’ to table

    PML-N offers Gilani Senate chairmanship if he brings his ’31 votes’ to table

    Amid deteriorating ties between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) over former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election as the leader of opposition in Senate, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has put forth a rather interesting offer.

    Speaking to media, PML-N bigwig Rana Sanaullah has offered Gilani to bring his 31 votes in the Upper House to the table and get elected as the chairman with 27 others of the PML-N in the 104-member house.

    While the PPP is yet to respond to the offer, here’s what you need to know about Gilani becoming the opposition leader in Senate…

    Last week, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani notified Gilani as the opposition leader in the Senate after the PPP submitted a list of 31 senators to him.

    PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarrar had the support of 21 opposition senators while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), which has five senators, did not support any candidate.

    “In pursuance of Rule 16 (3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, the chairman Senate has been pleased to declare Senator Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as leader of the opposition in the Senate, with effect from March 26, 2021,” read a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat.

    The list carried the signatures of 30 senators; 21 PPP senators, two from the Awami National Party (ANP), one from the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), two from the erstwhile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and five from independent Senator Dilawar Khan Group.

    With the appointment of Gilani as the opposition leader in the Senate, the gulf between the PPP and PML-N widened, putting the 10-parties PDM alliance on the rocks.

  • Top PPP leaders also unhappy over reason behind differences with Opp alliance

    Top PPP leaders also unhappy over reason behind differences with Opp alliance

    Former Senate chairman and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mian Raza Rabbani has said that the party should not have taken the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Dilawar Khan group in the Senate for the post of opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament.

    The move, that has also been spoken against by PPP’s Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, is the latest bone of contention among members of the joint opposition, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “Though the slot of the opposition leader in the Senate was right of the PPP being a largest single party at the opposition benches, it should not take n the support of the BAP Senators Dilawar group for the slot of opposition leader in the Senate,” he said while answering a query of The News on Wednesday.

    Rabbani said the support of BAP in the Senate was not good for the ideological foundations of the PPP, adding that rules of the Senate were clear that the slot goes to the single largest party at the opposition benches.

    He advised the opposition to keep its unity intact for broader object of supremacy of the constitution and parliament and objectives of supremacy of the constitution could not be achieved without unity in the ranks of the opposition.

    “It’s time to stand united to achieve the objectives,” he said.

    Earlier, Khokhar also said that the party should not have sought the support of BAP and led to this infighting that is only benefitting the government.