Meeting participants applaud PPP chairman’s move
Staff Reporter Karachi
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday, during a meeting of PPP’s Central Executive Committee, tore apart the show-cause notice served to his party by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
Bilawal, during the meeting at Bilawal House, Karachi, read out the show-cause notice served to PPP by PDM’s secretary-general Shahid Khaqan Abbasi — and after that, he tore it, sources told media.
Following Bilawal’s move, the party leaders present during the meeting lauded his action and started clapping.
Addressing the meeting, Bilawal said he had come into politics for respect, and nothing was greater than respect.
The meeting, which has 50 PPP leaders in attendance, discussed the current political situation and the relations between the Opposition parties and the overall anti-government strategy of the party. Former president Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal presided over the meeting.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the Senate Yousuf Raza Gillani offered the party his resignation as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, sources said.
“We have given our lives and rendered many sacrifices for the cause of democracy,” the sources quoted him as saying.
“Allegations which are unfounded cannot be levelled against PPP,” Gillani was said by sources to have added.
His proposal was unanimously rejected by the CEC, as well as PPP President Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Responding to the development, PML-N secretary-general Ahsan Iqbal said PPP had taken a “vicious” step by tearing apart the notice served to it by PDM.
It wasn’t a show-cause notice. They were just asked to respond to their move of getting Gillani the slot of Leader of Opposition in the Senate via support from a government-ally — BAP, he said.
“So if they have shredded and thrown away the notice from PDM, it is akin to them breaking their partnership with PDM. It is an extremely vicious step,” the PML-N leader said.
Iqbal said a final decision would be taken by the PDM leadership in the matter. However, for him, PPP is no more a part of the Opposition alliance.
The show-cause notice was sent to insult PPP, Senator Palwasha Khan said, adding there was no need for PPP to respond to PDM’s notice.
Speaking to a news channel shortly after Ahsan Iqbal made an appearance, Palwasha said PPP would not bid farewell to PDM as they were the founders of the platform.
“Who has stopped PML-N from resigning from the assemblies?” “No party in PDM, including PML-N, has the right to issue a show-cause notice,” the PPP leader added.
