PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday held a meeting with Sardar Akhtar Mengal, whose party – the BNP-M – was a part of the PTI-led coalition government till last month when it announced to party ways.
According to a brief statement issued by the PPP, Bilawal discussed “the current political situation” with the BNP chief in the meeting which was held at Zardari House in Islamabad.
PPP senior leaders – Nayyar Bukhari, Mustafa Nawaz Khokar, and Farhatullah Babar – also attended the moot. The BNP-M delegation included Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Agha Hasan and Mir Hamal Kalmati.
In the meeting that lasted for two hours, the two leaders discussed in detail the current political situation. They agreed to meet more often and continue the dialogue at the leadership level as well as at the level of delegates and representatives, said the statement.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of an all parties’ conference (APC) that the two major opposition parties – PPP and PML-N – have announced to hold “right after Eidul Azha”.
Eidul Azha will be celebrated in Pakistan from August 1 through August 3.
The APC announcement came after a meeting between a PML-N delegation – comprising Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq – and PPP Chairman Bilawal at the PPP’s headquarters in Punjab’s provincial capital on July 20.
During the meeting, the two parties had also agreed to form “a joint action committee” to formulate a common strategy against the government and to “rid the nation of this government”.
The BNP-M on June 17 announced quitting the PTI-led coalition government in the Centre, alleging that the government had not kept its promises with the nationalist party of Balochistan.
“I am officially announcing that our party is ending its alliance with the PTI. We will stay in the parliament and continue raising issues, though," Mengal had told the National Assembly.
The BNP has four votes in the National Assembly and one in the Senate.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ