ISLAMABAD - ‘Shehbaz Sharif is your next prime minister,’ reiterated Co-Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali Zardari while putting his hand on the shoulder of younger Sharif at a joint parliamentary meeting of the opposition parties here yesterday.
The meeting was held on Friday here at the Parliament House under the chair of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif. “All of the parliamentary leaders seemed confident and they assured the members of the national assembly that the opposition will succeed in the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan”, a participant shared his observation with The Nation after the meeting.
The MNAs were addressed by all the parliamentary leaders including Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Maulana Asad Mehmood, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and Mohsin Dawar.
The meeting was attended by a total of 159 members out of 162 sitting on the opposition benches in the National Assembly.
The absent members include Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of Jamat-e-Islami who did not attend the session as per his party policy, an independent MNA Ali Wazir who is in jail at present while a PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim Bajar who is in Dubai to get medical treatment. However, it is expected that he will return to the country soon.
The participants whom this scribe approached informed that only the party leaders talked to the MNAs in the meeting, who generally assured their support to the no-trust motion and urged their members to remain at high side as they will win the no-confidence saga.
Asif Ali Zardari while taking the MNAs into confidence vowed that he never gets involved himself in ‘lose games’ but he deals with such situations tactfully.
He put his hand on the shoulder of Shehbaz Sharif and announced that he is their next prime minister as the number game is in the hands of the opposition.
Meanwhile, in his address to the members, Shehbaz Sharif directed the opposition members not to leave Islamabad till a final outcome of the no-trust motion.
He, however, said to the MNAs that if anybody wanted to go anywhere he must intimate to him personally before leaving the capital.
Earlier, Zardari was hounded by the media when he was heading towards the meeting room where he had appeared to be confident.
“All eyes are on you. You have previous experience. How confident are you?” asked by a reporter.
“God willing, if my Maula (God) wants, 100 per cent victory,” he replied. He added that the opposition would protest if the NA speaker did not allow the motion to be tabled.
He also brushed aside the concerns that “undemocratic powers” could take advantage of the situation. “We have a strategy for that: If you are so interested, then you are most welcome.”
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, was also all smiles and told reporters the people will win and the ‘selected’ will face defeat.
He said further winning and losing are in the hands of God but we are working hard.
In a tweet on Friday, PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif said that the National Assembly Speaker continues to trample upon constitutional provisions. “This partisan behaviour does not suit the custodian of the House. Adjournment of NA session is part of desperate efforts to disrupt no-confidence process. U cannot stop the inevitable through such underhand tactics!”
Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said yesterday that Prime Minister Imran Khan cannot escape the no-confidence motion.
Speaking to journalists here, Bilawal said Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser was acting as an aide of the Prime Minister rather than the custodian of the house. “Prime Minister Imran Khan is running away from the no-confidence motion. What kind of a captain runs away from contest,” he quipped.
He said the Speaker was a facilitator of Imran Khan and was avoiding taking up no-confidence motion.
“In the name of tradition, he is trying to protect Imran Khan. This government wants to spread terror first by attacking Parliament Lodges and then the Sindh House,” he added.
The government, he said, wanted to run away from the no-confidence motion but the opposition is united and will not let this “selected person” escape.
“How long will the selected be able to avoid the no-confidence? We will use the democratic weapon of no-confidence against this undemocratic person, Imran Khan,” he said.
The PPP Chairman felicitated the people of Pakistan who “rejected” Imran Khan. “His (Imran Khan’s) government has ended and soon he will be a former prime minister,” he said.
Bilawal said the opposition was resisting all these undemocratic forces with democracy. “The next prime minister will be an elected prime minister. Neutrality is still there and our long term struggle has been for this neutrality. This no-confidence is also a part of the same struggle,” he added.
Bilawal said that everyone knows that victory will be for the opposition. “We had total members of opposition. We will request for production order of Ali Wazir. The victory and defeat are as per Allah’s will but our preparations are complete. You will see what we do,” he said.
Earlier on arrival at the Parliament House, former President of Pakistan and President Pakistan People Party Parliamentarians, Asif Ali Zardari, told the media the “things will be better.”
He said that the allies can form a government with the opposition. He said that he is 100% confident that the no-confidence will be successful.
Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari participated in the joint meeting of opposition members. All the opposition members were in attendance. The members were given important instructions regarding the session.
The PPP Chairman also met the independent member National Assembly, Ali Nawaz Shah in the opposition lobby. After meeting the Chairman PPP, Ali Nawaz Shah assured his support for no-confidence motion.