by ABDULLAH ZAFAR in THE NATION, DEC 30, 2020
KARACHI – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided against resigning from the assemblies and also announced to take part in the Senate polls.
While announcing the decision at a crowded press conference at Bilawal House after the CEC meeting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said that they will challenge the incumbent government from within the assemblies.
He denied that the PDM had decided on resignations and said that any decision on submitting resignations would be taken after consultation. “A meeting of the PDM will decide on the timings of the resignations,” Bilawal Bhutto said, adding, that currently all resignations will be submitted to the party leadership by December 31.
Bilawal Bhutto said that their party policy is to act as per the PDM’s action plan while refusing to either accept or deny the reports being circulated the entire day regarding discussion during the CEC meeting which claimed that the PPP has linked the resignations with the return of former PM and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
While defending the PPP’s decision, he said that the incumbent government should be challenged in courts and Parliament while further suggesting to bring no-confidence motion against the government in Punjab Assembly and National Assembly. “We will attack the incumbent government from all sides,” he said while terming the resignations option as an atomic bomb and said that that the CEC had not rejected the option.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that they have given a deadline of January 31, 2020 to the incumbent government to go home. Otherwise, we would send them packing. “It is time for the prime minister and the incumbent government to go home,” he said while divulging the decisions made by the CEC meeting of the party. “The government should resign by January 31, otherwise, we will lead a long march towards Islamabad,” he said, adding, that the PPP CEC has approved the decisions taken at the PDM platform.
He further said that the government was standing with a helping hand and it would collapse the day establishment pull back its support.
He said that time has come to eliminate involvement of external force in politics. “Establishment played its role in the 2018 polls and we want such actions should not happen again,” he said.
On Senate polls, he said that the PDM could succeed in taking a majority if it jointly participates in the Senate elections. “We will put forward the suggestions of the CEC before the PDM,” he said. He further rejected the approval of 2017 census by the federal cabinet and said that it should be reviewed. “We will contact with the coalition partners of the incumbent government who have expressed their reservations over the census process,” he said.
Census is the problem of masses and if its figures are improper then there will have issues in distribution of resources, he said.
https://nation.com.pk/30-Dec-2020/ppp-to-take-part-in-senate-election
