- PPP to cooperate with PTI, other opposition parties inside the parliament on ‘issue to issue basis’
In a move many had predicted beforehand, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Wednesday passed on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s offer to join hands and unite the opposition as it prepares to mount a stiff campaign against the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the wake of allegations that have hit Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a bit too close to home.
Analysts had predicted that while the PPP will keep pressure on the PML-N in the media, it will not support PTI in a move which could see the prime minister removed from his post.
The PPP made these decisions at the party’s Core Committee meeting chaired by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
A well placed source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that the party discussed the situation in the wake of the Panama Leaks and decided not to join the PTI in a public show of strength.
BILAWAL DISCIPLINES AHSAN, KHURSHEED:
“The party chairman was given detailed briefings on the situation by PPP senior leaders Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and Syed Khurshid Shah,” the source said, and added, “The chairman expressed displeasure over the statements made by both leaders concerning sensitive issues without seeking advice from the party’s top leadership.”
The source said the chairman expressed anger over the enthusiastic welcome given by both the party leaders to the party’s ‘defector’ Shah Mahmood Qureshi and said that no such meeting should have taken place. The two leaders were told to seek the party chief’s nod before taking such decisions in future.
Bilawal, however, agreed to extend cooperation to PTI on an ‘issue to issue basis’, the source said.
“But Bilawal made it clear that this cooperation will be limited to the parliament and the PPP will not become a party in PTI’s street agitation, which could bring down the PML-N government,” the source added.
“Bilawal also expressed annoyance over Rehman Malik’s meeting with Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar in violation of the party’s policy.”
PPP TO SET UP PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE:
The source said Bilawal ordered to set up a four member committee comprising leaders of the opposition and the party’s parliamentary leaders both in the National Assembly and the Senate. He tasked the committee to reach out to other political parties for setting up a parliamentary committee with full powers to pursue investigations into Panama Leaks including powers to conduct forensic investigation through international forensic experts.
Bilawal also appointed a four member committee of legal experts to advise him on the legal issues involved and the course of action to be followed for the purpose of undertaking full investigation into Panama Leaks in a transparent and credible manner. The legal experts committee comprises Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Farooq Naek, former governor Latif Khosa and former Senate chairman Nayyer Bokhari.
The source said Bilawal rejected the idea of mounting a stiff campaign against Nawaz Sharif, because the party is not ready for elections at this stage.
PPP DISSOLVES PARTY ORGANISATIONS:
The PPP announced that it was dissolving all the party organisations in order to re-organise the party immediately.
The party decided to abolish all organisations at the district level in all the provinces. A five-member organising committee has been set up at the provincial level in each province to make recommendations to the PPP chairman regarding the re-organisation of the Party within three months.
Bilawal Bhutto had announced during the party’s meeting in Larkana earlier this month that he would announce the party’s re-organisation soon.
The senior leaders present during the meeting with Bilawal included Faryal Talpur, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Khurshid Shah, Farooq Naek, Aitzaz Ahsan, Nayyar Bokhari, Latif Khosa, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Jehangir Bader, Faisal Kundi, Saleem Mandviwala, Rehman Malik, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Ijaz Jhakrani, Jamil Soomro, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Habib and Farhatullah Babar.
