PPP, PML-N to honour commitments made with MQM

| Both leaders also talk about future course of action

ISLAMABAD   -  Ruling partners, the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) yesterday vowed to fulfill commitments made with ally, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, at the earliest.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on former President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Zardari House Islamabad to discuss the future course of action. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, Saad Rafique and Marriyum Aurangzeb were also present on the occasion. “They discussed the current political situation in the country,” said a PPP statement.

The PPP sources said that formation of the government and commitments with the smaller partners were discussed in the meeting. “The PM urged Zardari to name cabinet members so that a team could be announced to run the government affairs,” a participant of the meeting told The Nation.

He said Zardari has been reluctant to become part of Sharif’s cabinet but the party was reconsidering the decision. “There will be some PPP ministers soon. Shehbaz Sharif and Zardari also discussed the share of the smaller partners like the MQM, BAP (Balochistan Awami Party), the ANP (Awami National Party) and of course the JUI-F (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl),” he added.

Meanwhile, PPP lawmaker Shazia Atta Marri said that Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri had lost the moral grounds and legitimacy to sit on the chair of Deputy Speaker while united opposition had already submitted no-trust resolution against Qasim Suri under the Article 53(7-C) of the Constitution of Pakistan on 8th of April in the National Assembly.

She said that resolution of the no-confidence motion filed by the opposition should be placed in the National Assembly’s agenda legally and constitutionally and informed that as per the Rule 12(3) of the National Assembly, on the very first day, nothing would be included in the agenda of the National Assembly’s session after seven days of the already submitted no-confidence motion.

Marri said Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri should follow the Constitution and rules while presiding over the session. She said the date for submission of the nominations papers for the election of the Speaker had not been announced so far. Qasim Suri could not chair the National Assembly’s session to be held on April 16, she said adding that Qasim Suri should issue schedule for election of of new deputy speaker immediately because no-trust motion would be presented against him during the session of the National Assembly to be held on April 16.  Marri said Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had already violated the Constitution of the country. She said they would not allow him to violate the Constitution once again. She stressed that position of the deputy speaker should be neutral and one who holds this seat must defend and protect the Constitution.