PPP calls meeting of opposition parties

PPP asks PML-N to replace Punjab opposition leader

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has called a meeting of almost all opposition parties at Bilawal House at an Iftar to chalk out a joint antigovernment strategy, against the backdrop of the recent price hike in the country.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the PPP’s core committee held at Zardari House, with party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the chair.

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PPP) leader Maryam Nawaz was also invited to the meeting.

Others opposition leaders who were invited to the meeting included Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazlur (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai.

It is believed that the opposition leaders at the meeting would discuss the formation of a grand opposition alliance against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Spokesman for the PPP chairman, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, said that Bhutto Zardari telephoned Maryam to invite her to the meeting.

He said that Maryam had given assurances that she would definitely take part in the meeting.

Khokhar said that the heads of other opposition parties had also accepted the invitation.

It would not be a multi-party meeting, but a huddle of all opposition parties in which their leaders would discuss the future line of action and formation of a grand alliance against the government.

Answering a question whether the PPP would join the PML-N’s planned street after Eid, Khokhar said that there is a realisation in the PPP as well that the time had come when the people should hit the streets against the government’s “faulty” policies.

However, he added, that the decision on this would be taken at the Bilawal House meeting.

During the Zardari House meeting, Khokhar said, the PPP considered all options to join the PML-N’s planned post-Eid protest.

During the meeting, the PPP leaders discussed many issues, including the recent price hikes, the government’s deal with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package, and actions by the National Accountability Bureau against PPP leaders.

Khokhar said that the meeting also discussed the recently-passed 26th Constitution Amendment for increasing seats for tribal areas in the National Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Meanwhile, the PPP has advised the PML-N to replace Hamza Shehbaz as the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly.

“The PML-N should replace Hamza as opposition leader with someone else, as he is engaged in personal and family court cases, and may not be able to give proper time for overseeing parliamentary affairs,” PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Hassan Murtaza said.

He argued in a statement that because of a lack of co-ordination between Shehbaz and other parties, the opposition is failing to devise a strategy and give a tough time to the government.

“There should be an opposition leader who could spare time for parliamentary affairs and do effective opposition against the government’s policies.”

He said that if the opposition does not act in an effective way now to check what he said antimasses policies of the PTI-led government, the people would not forgive them.

Murtaza said that the people of Punjab are looking to the opposition parties to take action.

Hamza’s father, Shehbaz Sharif, is the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly.

He stepped down as parliamentary leader and as Public Accounts Committee chairman recently.

Sharif is at present in London undergoing medical tests.

In a reference to the boycott of elections of the standing committees chairmen by the PMLN, Murtaza complained that the PPP and other opposition parties were not being taken into confidence on the decision, and said that they are not (morally) bound to follow the policy of the PMLN, and would take part in the elections for the standing committees’ chairmanship.

Meanwhile, PPP Punjab chapter president Qamar Zaman Kaira said that because of incompetence of the PTI government, the value of rupee has registered a record fall against the US dollar.

In a statement, he said that dollar had vanished from the open market as its value against rupee had gone up to Rs147, and the government’s warning of action against hoarders of the greenback had proved futile.

Kaira accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of being unable to devise economic policy and not knowing anything about governance.