-JUI-F Chief claims PDM still stands united
-Fazal informs Nawaz about his reservations
-Qureshi says PDM’s rift revealed its ‘game of vested interests’
By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) supremo and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday contacted Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and asked him to return to Pakistan, citing sources.
According to details Maulana Fazlur Rehman has made a telephonic conversation with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and expressed his reservations besides suggesting him to return to the country. Both leaders have exchanged views on the political situation and the decisions taken by the opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
Maulana Fazl complained with Sharif over the difficulties in the implementation of PDM’s decisions as the top leadership of PML-N is residing in a foreign country. He added that the bitter experience of Senate elections was also an outcome of it, on the other hand, the mutual trust was damaged by not casting vote to the JUI-F candidate. Moreover, both leaders have also discussed the stance adopted by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The JUI-F supremo reiterated that the decision for tendering resignations from assemblies possesses a great importance in the ongoing anti-government campaign.
Agencies said that Nawaz Sharif assured Maulana Fazlur Rehman of increasing coordination in order to take forward the anti-government campaign through joint efforts in future.
Earlier on Wednesday the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam Pakistan (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that disagreements regularly take place within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), but the alliance still stands united.The PDM chief was addressing a gathering in Peshawar, during which he said that during Tuesday’s meeting, nine parties of the PDM were in favour of submitting resignations to the Parliament.
“If resignations are to be submitted, half of the Parliament would be empty. That would call for reelection,” he said. “Resignations were never meant to be the last option or the atom bomb,” Fazl said, adding “We have given the PPP time to deliberate upon its decision and consult the chief election commissioner (CEC) regarding the matter”. He also said that revealing the internal matters of the PDM which were discussed during the meeting is a “dishonest and treacherous” practice.
It should be recalled that the PDM has called off its long march, which was scheduled to take place on March 26 to oust the PTI-led government, due to PPP’s hesitation regarding the submission of resignations to the Parliament.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had clearly told his fellow PDM leaders that his party’s lawmakers won’t resign from assemblies at any cost and demanded that PML-N Supreme Leader Mian Nawaz Sharif should fly back to the country “for a decisive battle” with the government.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said rift in Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had exposed the fact that both Pakistan Muslim League- N and Pakistan Peoples Party were manipulating each other for their vested interests.
“The entire alliance is based upon the game of personal gains,” Qureshi made remarks in response to Opposition’s postponement of long march due to differences over submission of en masse resignations from assemblies. Qureshi said PDM’s political parties even cast doubts over each other in Senate elections, however added that ‘now the cracks in their union had become fully revealed’.
