PML-N, PPP drift apart on no-trust against govt

It appears as if differences have emerged between the two largest opposition parties – the PML-N and the PPP – in the PDM over ousting the ruling PTI as Ahsan Iqbal has disagreed with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s recommendation of tabling a no-confidence motion in parliament, while the government reiterated its call for holding a dialogue to resolve issues.

Addressing a news conference along with PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ataullah Tarar at the party secretariat at Model Town in Lahore on Saturday, Secretary General Iqbal was of the view that “only a decisive long march and action can end this government”, recalling that a no-confidence motion against the government had failed in the Senate despite having numbers. “The PML-N thinks that if [PPP Chairman] Bilawal has numbers for a no-confidence motion and so many members, then he should present them.”

In August last year, the opposition senators had fallen three votes short when the results of the secret ballot of the no-trust motion pushed against upper house Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani were announced. On Friday, Bilawal told the media persons in Hyderabad PML-N, that  they would get rid of the incumbent government through a democratic and constitutional manner by bringing  forward a no-confidence  motion  against  the  “puppet  prime  minis-ter, speaker and their inept government”.“PPP’s idea of a no-trust  motion  is  an  old  one,”  the PML-N stalwart said. However, Federal Minister for  Interior  Sheikh  Rashid Ahmed in an interview with a  private TV channel  on  Saturday  urged  the  opposition  parties  to  hold  a  dialogue with the ruling PTI for resolving public issues.

Read ‘Dead horse’: Shibli claims victory over PDM

At a separate news conference in Lahore, the interior minister said  that  Bilawal  has come of age and become sensible  and  mature,  as  he  believes that rallies will not affect the government. Lauding the opposition for agreeing to participate in the Senate and taking part in the by-elections, Rashid said that the government was ready to cooperate with the PDM. Separately, talking to The  Express  Tribune,  Federal  Minister  for  Science  and  Technology Fawad Chaudhry said,  “Opposition  lacks  a  strategy from Jalsas to resig-nations and now a no-confi-dence move shows only their desperation.

They apparently lack any coherent thinking or framework.”However, PPP Parliamentarians  Secretary  Information  Shazia Marri  told The Express Tribune that the PPP  chairman has  categori-cally stated that he believes in using all democratic, constitutional and legal means necessary to remove the prime minister. “He  [Bilawal]  is  clear  that  apart  from  street protests,  parliamentary tools can also be used to take this govern-ment  to  task,”  Marri  said.  “He  has  said  that  he  would also  suggest  the  same  to  other parties in the PDM and will try to convince them to consider this option.” Defending  the PPP chairman’s statement, Marri said that “no confidence motion is a constitutional and parliamentary option and a government that is formed merely with four votes cannot be too confident when opposition decides to move such a motion in parliament.” She added that the final decision would be taken after consensus within the PDM.”

To a question about difference of opinion between the PPP  and  the  PML-N  at  this  stage of the anti-government movement,  Marri  said  that  having  a  range  of  different  opinions  provides  different  perspectives   and   “there’s   nothing  wrong  with  hav-ing multiple options but the final decision by PDM would be unanimous”. Political analysts said that the  difference  of  opinion  between the two largest op-position parties suggests that they  are  not  on  the  same  page  in  ousting  the  ruling  PTI  as  both  the  allies  have  opted  for  different  strategies  just  before  the  Senate  elections after holding coun-trywide  rallies  against  the  government.