The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that all decisions related to terrorism, including those connected to ongoing talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, must be made by parliament.
Bilawal, who is also the foreign minister and has mentioned on several occasions that he has been personally affected by terrorism, said the party would reach out to its allies to build a consensus on the way forward.
“PPP held a high-level meeting to discuss the issue of terrorism, particularly in light of recent developments in Afghanistan, with the TTA (Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan) and TTP. PPP believes that all decisions must be taken by parliament,” he tweeted.
Akhundzada Chattan was also a part of the Pakistani tribal delegation that flew to Kabul to join negotiations early this month.
In a statement issued after the Saturday meeting, the PPP said the party had reiterated that all decisions must be taken by the parliament, and thus, the parliament must be taken on board.
The Afghan Taliban’s interim government is facilitating peace talks between Islamabad and the TTP whose leadership is already in Kabul.
The meeting comes after PPP served a show-cause notice to its MNA from the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas — Sajid Hussain Turi — for attending peace talks with the banned TTP without informing the party or parliament.
A senior PPP leader, on the condition of anonymity, told that there appeared to be wheels within wheels in the state apparatus and that it was extremely risky for national security to conduct such a serious exercise without informing the parliament, and political parties, and other stakeholders.
Following this, the PPP’s high-level huddle decided to reach out to allied parties to create consensus on the way forward — during the “hybrid meeting” chaired by PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in attendance via video link.
Two former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gillani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, Faryal Talpur, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Syed Khursheed Shah, Sherry Rehman, Nayyer Bukhari, Najmuddin, Faisal Karim Kundi, Humayun Khan, Ch Yasin, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Akhunzada Chattan, Rukhsana Bangash, Nisar Khuro, and Farhatullah Babar attended the meeting.
PPP Secretary-General Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting reiterated the party’s position that all decisions must be taken by the parliament and thus, the parliament must be taken on board.
In a statement later, Foreign Minister and party chairman Bilawal reiterated that the PPP believes that “all decisions must be taken by parliament”.
