Report in Dawn, 10 Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD: Only a day after announcing that lawmakers belonging to the constituent parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will hand over their resignations to the heads of their parties by Dec 31, the alliance leadership went into another session here on Wednesday to further deliberate the matter in the light of the concerns shown by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over the move.
Before going to attend the luncheon meeting of the PDM leaders at the residence of alliance president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari held a consultative meeting with the senior party members and office-bearers to finalise the points for placing before the PDM leadership.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, the PDM leaders refuted reports about differences within the alliance on en masse resignations from the assemblies.
“The PPP, Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz, we are all on one page and one stage,” said Mr Bhutto-Zardari in response to a question. “We are ready to use every weapon to send this government home.”
However, he said his party would further discuss the matter in a meeting of its Central Executive Committee.
Downplaying their gathering on the second consecutive day, the JUI-F chief said it was an informal meeting.
Responding to a query, he said they were yet to decide the timing of using the option of submitting en masse resignations and a strategy would be finalised in the “next phase” (of the PDM’s anti-government movement).
According to sources, the PPP has urged the PDM leaders to thoroughly analyse the possible scenarios that could emerge after their coming out of the assemblies before making any decision to submit resignations. Besides, they should also consult legal and constitutional experts regarding possible outcomes of their resignations from the assemblies ahead of the Senate elections.
Moreover, the PPP also wants the PDM leadership to prepare a plan of action in case the government decides to hold by-elections on the vacant seats.
During the press talk, Maulana Fazl said there was no democracy in the country and the “establishment is still protecting the government”.
“If the establishment will continue to protect the present illegitimate government then how can they call the present set-up a democratic system.”
The Maulana regretted that on one hand, the government was saying it would not stop the opposition from holding a public meeting in Lahore on Dec 13 and, on the other, it was not giving permission for it.
“The Punjab government has converted the public meeting venue at Minar-i-Pakistan into a dam but we will hold the public meeting come what may,” the Maulana said, adding that they had finalised an alternative strategy if they were not allowed to hold a public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistan, but they would not disclose it.
PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz said it was a unanimous decision of all the PDM constituent parties to submit their resignations to the party heads by Dec 31. She also categorically declared that they would hold the Lahore public meeting despite all the odds.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594932/as-pdm-mulls-over-resignations-ppp-says-issue-will-be-discussed-by-its-cec
