ISLAMABAD - The opposition parties, including PML-N and PPP, on Tuesday decided to evolve a joint strategy on important national issues and give tough time to government both in and outside the Parliament.
The meeting was held on the invitation of Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in his chamber and attended by all the parliamentary parties in opposition.
Interestingly, the MNAs of Balochistan National Party (BNP) Mengal Group, which is part of ruling coalition, also attended the meeting and put their weight behind the opposition parties’ alliance.
The two hours long meeting agreed to form a special committee to devise a joint strategy to deal with issues of national importance – especially the alleged mismanagement of national economy by the ruling PTI.
The special committee included Syed Khursheed Shah and Sherry Rehman from PPP, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanullah and Marriyum Aurangzeb from PML-N, Amir Haider Hoti from ANP, Abdul Wasey from MMA and Akhtar Mengal from BNP.
Sources said the participants discussed the overall political situation in the country. The meeting decided to resist the government on the economic matters which they believed were leading the country to total default.
The alleged witch-hunt of opposition parties through state machinery was another matter of key concern and it was the consensus view of the opposition parties that they would resist all coercive tactics by the ruling party.
The moot expressed serious concerns over the NAB activities and its ‘partisan’ role in bullying the opposition parties’ leaders and MPs. They decided to raise their concerns in the Parliament and dumped the proposed plan of opposition members meeting with NAB chairman.
One of the participants of the meeting informed that contrary to his usual conciliatory posture, PPPP President Asif Ali Zardari appeared quite hostile towards PTI and wanted to give it a tough time in and out of the Parliament.
He proposed giving a tough time to government on the mini-budget that PTI government intends to table before the Parliament and also resist the government on the question of extension for military courts.
The PPPP leader also wanted to bring down Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and install their own man in the saddle so they could effectively grill the government in the Parliament.
Sources in the opposition parties informed that though PML-N and some other parties were not prepared to take extreme position, PPPP wanted to go full throttle and therefore a committee was constituted to draw a joint strategy on issue to issue basis.
They said the meeting was held in cordial atmosphere and both PPP and PML-N agreed to move forward in the light of Charter of Democracy(CoD) signed between the two parties over a decade ago with some adjustments in the accord in light of the given situation and to accommodate the other opposition parties.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PPPP President Asif Ali Zardari were assisted by Sherry Rehman and Syed Naveed Qamar while PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was joined by Rana Sanaullah, Kh Saad Rafique and Ahsan Iqbal.
MMA Parliamentary Chief Asadur Rehman and Abdul Wasey, ANP central leader Amir Haider Hoti and BNP-M MNAs Hashim Notazi and Aga Hassan Baloch were also in attendance.
During brief media chat Asif Ali Zardari said that the opposition parties’ alliance was formed and they would jointly tackle each and every issue of national importance.
To a question about NRO he said they [PTI] were not in a position to give NRO to anyone.
To the same question that Prime Minister Imran Khan viewed this huddle of opposition parties an attempt to secure NRO, Shehbaz Sharif said he did not even consider worth commenting on the absurd and baseless statement of the PM.