Clarified on day one PPP doesn't intend to quit parliamentary forum: Kaira

PPP leader says Senate opposition leader position not so important, "party not dying for it"

LAHORE:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday that the PPP had clarified on day one that it did not want to leave the parliamentary forum.

Kaira’s comments came following party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto's remarks made during a press conference following his meeting with Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Senator Siraj-ul-Haq in Lahore a day ago.

The meeting was held to gain the JI's support for PPP candidate, Yousuf Raza Gilani, for the slot of Senate opposition leader.

The PML-N and the PPP – the two major parties in the eleven party opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – seem to be drifting further apart with each passing day over the question as to which party will hold the key position of the Senate opposition leader. 

During today’s press conference, Kaira said that the situation in Pakistan would have been different had Gilani's victory, on slot of Senate chairman, not been blocked.

“We are for the option of submitting resignations and are moving forward with some points. However, the time is not right for what you [PML-N, JUI-F] are asking for,” Karia stated.

The PPP leader further maintained that the position of the Senate opposition leader was not so important, adding that "the party is not ‘dying’ for it".

On the matter of PDM meeting discussion - wherein former president Zardari had advised former premier Nawaz Sharif to come back to Pakistan - being 'leaked', Kaira said that was no big deal as even cabinet meetings' proceedings get leaked.

Read PML-N, PPP at loggerheads over Senate slot

“Fear is not part of Asif Ali Zardari’s personality,” the PPP leader said defending the party's co-chairperson. “We are not changing any tactics, and neither have we ever done any politics on the behest of the establishment,” he maintained.

He said that the PPP’s narrative had always been that it wants no role of the establishment in politics. However, he added that the party did not want to put an end to this role by fighting.

“In PDM meetings, it was decided that all decisions would be guided by everyone's consensus and not by whose opinion held a majority," the former minister asserted.

He said the opposition parties managed to win the Senate elections, and that the PPP does not want division in PDM.

Kaira further said that the PPP would go to the PDM after its Central Executive Committee’s (CEC) meeting, scheduled to be held on April 4.

The PPP was fully prepared for the long march but the resignations were made conditional, he said, adding that in the past we did pressurise but also reconciled with our friends on the matter of principle.

“Our legal experts said that even if we resigned, the Senate elections would still be held,” Kaira observed.

Regarding accompanying the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz for her NAB hearing on March 26, Kaira said that Bilawal expressed his thoughts over the matter. "Will inform of our decision [on accompanying her] after Bilawal will be contacted regarding the matter," he stated.