PDM postpones Monday’s meeting for a day

Matters relating to en masse resignations from assemblies and long march would be discussed in Tuesday’s meeting

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has postponed its March 15 meeting for a day to Tuesday, March 16.

JUI-F Amir and PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday contacted the alliance's general secretary Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and informed him about the change of plans.

The option of en masse resignations from assemblies and March 26 long march against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan would come under discussion at the meeting, he told Abbasi, adding that this option would increase the chances of long march's success.

The meeting will be hosted by PML-N and will be held at its secretariat on Tuesday at 2pm.

Earlier today, the big three of the PDM established contact and vowed to get to the bottom of the defeat of the alliance’s joint candidate – Yousuf Raza Gilani – in the election for Senate chairman slot.

Read more: PDM to challenge Senate chairman election in high court: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman pondered over the setback in the Senate elections during the telephonic conversation, sources told The Express Tribune.

The JUI-F amir discussed the opposition’s upcoming long march on Islamabad to topple the government of Prime Minister Imran. The trio also agreed to approach relevant forums to challenge yesterday’s elections of the upper house of the parliament.

Zardari assured the other two of strict action against PPP senators if they were found involved in deliberately wasting their votes.

According to sources privy to the development, Sharif reiterated during the discussion that the establishment was behind the crisis and suggested to check telephone data of senators who received anonymous calls from unknown numbers and of those who had met with any government personality or its candidate.

The PDM bigwigs agreed to launch an investigation against those opposition senators who have close links with re-elected chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.

Also read: Rude awakening for PDM

Victory for both the government-backed candidates on the top Senate slots is considered a major shock for the anti-government 11-party alliance, which had stunned the government when it won the federal capital’s seat in the Senate elections on March 3.

The victory had forced Prime Minister Imran Khan to take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly; which he did and started his second political innings at the midway of the constitutional term of five years.

Experts believe that Friday’s defeat in the face of clear majority in the House has put the PDM on the back foot and given the much-needed respite to the government amid the ongoing political volatility.