Tag: PPP

  • ‘Too-weak-to-fight-establishment Zardari’ has also apologised to Maryam, Rana Sanaullah claims

    ‘Too-weak-to-fight-establishment Zardari’ has also apologised to Maryam, Rana Sanaullah claims

    Punjab president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Rana Sanaullah, has revealed that confusion prevails among ranks of the joint opposition ever since Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — also a member of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said he is weak and cannot fight the establishment on his own.

    The PML-N leader, speaking to Geo News’ programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, said he was unable to understand what the former president meant by that statement.

    Sanaullah said the joint opposition had decided that office of the leader of opposition in Senate would be set aside for the PML-N but the PPP kept saying it deserved to appoint him or her from within their ranks.

    “During Zardari’s speech, someone came inside [his room] and said that there is chaos outside. After that, Zardari changed his stance,” he said.

    Following the disturbance, according to Sanaullah, Zardari said he is weak and cannot fight the establishment on his own. “I have only one son, and no one else.”

    Sana also said PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was upset over some words of the former president’s speech, adding that the PPP co-chairman even apologised to Maryam Nawaz for it.

    The PML-N leader was talking about the key PDM meeting from last week during which opposition parties were unable to achieve a breakthrough on the issue of resignations from the parliament before the long march as the PPP remained the only party reluctant to resign.

    Following the meeting, rumours of the PPP backstabbing the joint opposition went rife, as they remained at crossroads over the appointment of the Upper House’s Opp leader.

    “It was not my intention to hurt your feelings,” Zardari said to Maryam after the meeting during which Zardari had spoken at length to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif via videoconferencing and urged him to return to Pakistan if he was ready to wage a war against the government.

    Maryam and Bilawal have reportedly since been trading barbs.

  • Bilawal-less PDM decides to resist PPP’s bid to field its own candidate for Senate Opp leader

    Amid rumours of a rift between joint opposition members after “a deal was struck” and pundits’ predictions of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) “backstabbing” others, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to resist a bid by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s party to bring in its own nominee as leader of the opposition in the Senate.

    According to reports, with an aim to keep the PDM on the same page, head of the opposition alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Opposition Leader of Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz in Jati Umra on Sunday.

    As per details of the meeting, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head met the PML-N leaders to discuss future strategy regarding long march and resignations from the parliament.

    It emerged that Fazl and Maryam decided during the meeting to resist the PPP’s bid to secure the leader of opposition’s slot which in principle had been awarded by the alliance to the PML-N’s nominee, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar.

    PDM has postponed the long march for an indefinite period after the PPP, a key member of the alliance, refused to resign from assemblies and stressed to continue the movement from within the parliament.

    Fazl has said that apart from PPP, all parties have agreed on giving resignations from assemblies. He said that PPP has sought more time for consultation on the issue.

    PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had said that be it long march or no-confidence motion against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif must return to Pakistan.

    “This is not the first time that the democratic forces have encountered rigging,” he said and added he had spent 14 years of his life in jail.

    After the meeting at Jati Umra, the two senior leaders of the opposition alliance addressed the media, where Fazl said that the PDM would be present during Maryam Nawaz’s hearing on March 26 with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a show of solidarity.

    “The apparent reasons cited by NAB have exposed the bureau for the puppet institution it is. It has approached the court for cancellation of [Maryam’s] bail on the basis that she speaks against institutions.

    “So the institution has been formed not to combat corruption but to serve other institutions,” he said.

    Fazl maintained that the workers of the PDM will number in the thousands. Furthermore, he shot down any rumours of a rift within the alliance after the appointment of Yousaf Raza Gillani was appointed as the leader of the opposition in the Senate.

    “PDM is not only united, through mutual consultations we have matters under control. We all have to move ahead forward. The nine parties that have a particular ideology will request the PPP to respect their viewpoint,” he said.

    Fazl said that nine parties of the PDM are united on one principle while the PPP has yet to make a decision. He added that the PDM would wait for the decision of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) – which will meet in April – so that the alliance can move forward effectively.

    “The PDM is united and we are trying to resolve our internal issues mutually. We are trying to find a solution and we are ready to consider further the arguments of the PPP. We will effectively improve our issues with the PPP and will wait for the decision of the PPP CEC. We will tell the PPP to agree on the decision of nine parties,” he said.

    He said that the PDM is united and we have to move together while the people of Pakistan will stand by the sovereignty of the country.

    He said that there was a detailed discussion with Maryam on the situation facing the country.

    “NAB has summoned Maryam Nawaz on March 26. I wonder whether the NAB has been tasked to serve and represent the state institutions? The reasons given for Maryam Nawaz’s NAB summoning have exposed the NAB. PDM workers and leaders will be present on the occasion of Maryam Nawaz’s appearance in NAB,” he warned.

  • Race for leader of opposition in Senate

    Race for leader of opposition in Senate

    Reports indicate that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are fighting over the slot of leader of opposition in the Senate. On March 8, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Information Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the media that it has been decided that the candidate for deputy chairman Senate would be from JUI-F and leader of the opposition in the upper House would be from the PML-N. Yousaf Raza Gillani was the PDM’s joint candidate for Senate chairman.

    Sources say the PPP is now vying for this position as they have reservations over the nomination of newly elected Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar by the PML-N. Tarar is a senior lawyer and is representing two accused police officers in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. When he was asked about these reservations in Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Tarar said that he has his own professional commitments [as a lawyer] and he was representing the two police officers who were being tried for negligence in BB murder case. “These two have no role in the assassination but are being tried for negligence related to washing the crime scene.”

    As per media reports, Sherry Rehman will be PPP’s candidate for leader of opposition but she has denied that she is the candidate for the position.

  • Maulana tells workers to continue long march preps despite PDM falling out

    Maulana tells workers to continue long march preps despite PDM falling out

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has directed the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter to continue preparations for the March 26 long march to Islamabad, reports said Thursday.

    A letter was written to the party’s KP leadership on Fazl’s directives, directing the leaders not to slow down the preparations. The letter said the long march has only been postponed until Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) makes its decision on the march.

    Nine of the 11 component parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are ready to participate in the long march while PPP has sought time to make a final decision concerning en masse resignations, the letter said.

    The development comes two days after the opposition alliance announced to postpone the long march after PPP linked its resignations from the legislative assemblies with deposed prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s return — a condition PML-N termed out of the question.

    “Nine parties [of PDM] were in favour of resignations along with the long march but PPP had expressed some reservations,” Fazl told reporters on Tuesday, adding the PPP would discuss the matter during its upcoming central executive committee (CEC) meeting.

    A day earlier, Fazl held a telephonic conversation with Nawaz and urged him to return to Pakistan, saying with top PML-N leadership living abroad in self-exile, it was difficult to execute decisions taken by the opposition alliance.

    After spending a year in prison, Nawaz, 71, secured a conditional bail in November 2019 to travel to London on the pretext of medical treatment and has since refused to return.

    His party insists that despite being summoned by the courts, which declared him a proclaimed offender in multiple corruption trials, the former premier will only return after the completion of his medical treatment.

  • Firdous Ashiq Awan lashes out at talk show host, guests

    Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan lashed out at PPP’s Agha Rafiullah during Geo News Aapas Ki Baat, after which PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif walked out from the show.

    The debate started when Dr Awan mentioned PML-N while replying to a question about recent political developments, and Agha Rafiullah interrupted her, which enraged her and she lashed out at him and programme host Muneeb Farooq. Things further escalated when Rafiullah used a derogatory term to refer Firdous Ashiq Awan. The heated debate was beeped out several times when abuses were reportedly exchanged.

    She also accused the host of ‘ fixing’ the show saying such things always happen in this show.

    In December last year, PML-N’s Azma Bukhari and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had traded barbs in the same show, forcing the host to end the programme. However, their disagreement did not end even after the show, as both politicians almost came to blows on the news channel’s premises.

  • PDM to decide on long march, resignations today

    PDM to decide on long march, resignations today

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will decide on long march and resignations from assemblies today in a meeting chaired by PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    Maulana Fazl, while talking to the media on Monday had said that in his personal opinion, without submitting resignations, the Opposition alliance does not stand to gain much benefit from the long march.

    PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz also said that the issue of resignations will be decided in the PDM meeting on Tuesday. She said the PML-N will try to convince those who don’t agree on resignations.

    “We have also agreed to their ideas before and they should also help us with the last push to get rid of this government in the larger interest of the nation,” said the PML-N VP.

    On the other hand, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is said to be reluctant when it comes to resigning from the assemblies.

  • Opposition ready to challenge Sanjrani’s win in Senate

    Opposition ready to challenge Sanjrani’s win in Senate

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to challenge the rejection of seven votes that were cast in favour of Yousaf Raza Gilani as per news reports. Sadiq Sanjrani bagged 48 votes in the election for the slot of Senate Chairman while Gilani bagged 42 votes. Seven votes cast in Gilani’s favour were rejected due to a technicality.

    The seven votes that were rejected had stamps on the candidate’s name but were inside the box. Senator Farooq H Naek said that the presiding officer does not have the right to reject “our vote if it has been stamped inside the box and on the candidate’s name”. Presiding officer Muzaffar Hussain Shah explained why those votes were rejected.

    It was pointed out that the written instructions in the Senate Hall were different from the reasons being given by the presiding officer.

    Former Secretary to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Geo News that the votes should have been valid and this decision can be challenged in the Supreme Court.

    Meanwhile, government senators say it was clearly stated in the Instruction Book how to vote and that these votes were wasted deliberately.

  • ‘Spy cameras’ discovered in polling booth ahead of Senate chairman polls

    Senators Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Dr Musadik Malik of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) have stated that they found spy cameras in the polling booth in Senate on the day of the Senate Chairman election.

    The opposition alliance has fielded Yousaf Raza Gilani as the joint candidate for Senate chairman while the government has fielded Sadiq Sanjrani.

    Senator Khokhar and Dr Musadik, in a series of tweets, posted pictures of cameras they found.

    https://twitter.com/DrMusadikMalik/status/1370235911255031808

    Responding to these tweets, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that those cameras were “in all likelihood CCTV” cameras and not spy cameras.

    Senator Khokhar thanked Chaudhry for the lead and said “we will check for those too”.

    A few minutes later, Senator Khokhar tweeted he found a similar screw that the minister had mentioned and thanked Chaudhry for the lead. In response to this, Fawad wished Senator Mustafa good luck.

    Senator Khokhar questioned why a screw was there.

    Senator Musadik Malik also tweeted the same.

    https://twitter.com/DrMusadikMalik/status/1370270961136713728

    A video available with The Current shows the whole saga of uncovering the screw:

    https://twitter.com/TheCurrentPK/status/1370276132986179587

    Meanwhile, the government accused the opposition of planting those cameras.

    Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted that credible sources in Senate staff have disclosed that Sadiq Sanjrani left the Senate building at 5:30am in the morning.

    Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that Secretary Senate should form a committee to investigate the cameragate before Dr Musadik and Mustafa Nawaz destroy the entire wiring system in the Senate.

    Meanwhile, Twitter has dubbed the duo of Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Dr Musadik Malik as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

    While those behind the installation of cameras are still unknown, it is worth mentioning that the elections for Senate chairman and deputy chairman are critical for both the government and opposition.

    Later, in a press conference Senator Mustafa and Dr Malik, detailed the events that transpired in the Senate as they discovered the hidden cameras.

    https://youtu.be/JIssfV4EJNc
  • Senate chairman vote: ‘Govt will do whatever is necessary to win this time’

    Senate chairman vote: ‘Govt will do whatever is necessary to win this time’

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz has said that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will do whatever is necessary to ensure the victory of Sadiq Sanjrani in the Senate chairman election.

    Speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ as the country heads towards another critical vote following the government’s defeat at the hands of opposition alliance for Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election, the minister said the government would do whatever is required to win the Senate chairman slot.

    While responding to media reports about the government’s offer to JUI-F, Faraz said no formal offer has been made to Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri for the post of Senate deputy chairman, and neither it is possible.

    “The JUI-F is just raising the matter to gain importance,” he said.

    “Abdul Ghafoor Haideri came to meet us and we informally discussed these things while having food in the library,” he said, adding that the government also goes to Opposition senators for seeking votes in the Senate elections.

    To a question whether the Senate chairman would be elected by seeking votes, using power or using money, Faraz said the opposition always violates rules and uses money.
    “We are ready this time. It can’t happen that we play Sharif Sharif [morally] and do everything according to law. We would do everything necessary for winning,” Shibli said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    He added that it was not possible that the government remains unmoved, while the opposition uses every tactic for its benefit, which was witnessed in the Senate elections.
    Faraz said the government would not play “nicely” and would make every effort for the success of its candidate.

    “It’s not happening that the opposition is allowed to even touch the ball in a football game with hand, while the government just plays with the foot. Love begets love and vice versa,” he said.

    The minister, however, made it clear that he was not talking about using money in the Senate election.

  • Moonis Elahi denies PPP asking for Q’s support in Senate

    Moonis Elahi denies PPP asking for Q’s support in Senate

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari went to see Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday.

    Reports suggested that apart from inquiring after his health, Bhutto-Zardari asked the Chaudhrys for their support in the upcoming elections for chairman Senate.

    However, PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi has denied these reports in a tweet.

    Geo News anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal tweeted to Moonis Elahi that this news was confirmed by Tariq Bashir Cheema in his show Naya Pakistan and a press release was also issued by the PML-Q saying that Chaudhry Shujaat said we have committed our allies for senate chairman vote.

    Speaking exclusively to The Current, Moonis Elahi said: “Yes, we are committed to our allies, but Bilawal did not ask for our vote nor did he come there seeking it. If he was seeking it, I am sure he would have brought the candidate along.”