PTI chairman Imran Khan. PHOTO: AFP
As it appears to be part of an effort to discard Syed Khursheed Shah as opposition leader and look for a replacement, there is a hint that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is inclined to change it stance towards Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
PTI does not want Khursheed Shah of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to continue as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly but is in no position to bring any change on its own. Imran Khan has accused that Shah has failed to deliver as leader of the opposition.
PTI chief further blamed the PPP of making an agreement with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and not giving them tough time. The key for change in this respect lies with the MQM which holds 24 seats in the lower house whose support is a must to replace Shah.
“Alliance with MQM would be like compromising on our stance,” a PTI official told The Express Tribune. Although the party leaders have decided in a meeting to nominate someone from within, it is still in a fix as nothing can be done without the support of MQM.
On Saturday, the PTI core committee held a session to weigh its options and decided that party would not nominate Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed for the slot of opposition leader in NA.
Sheikh Rashid had earlier held a meeting with the PTI chief seeking his party’s support to replace Shah, however, Imran remained noncommittal, sources had revealed.
When contacted, Sheik Rasheed told The Express Tribune about extending his support to Imran if he competes for the slot. However, sources privy to the matter informed that PTI chief will not stand in the race for new opposition leader.
Responding to a question about his own chances of winning support from other parties in the opposition, Sheikh Rashid said, “I have got the indication that MQM will support me.”
MQM, on the other hand, has not taken any decision in this regard. “The MQM will decide when the question of new leader of the opposition would arise in NA,” Haider Abbas Rizvi of the MQM said while talking to The Express Tribune.
According to the rules, any member sitting on opposition benches can submit an application to Speaker National Assembly to be notified as leader of the opposition. Moreover, for that matter, the application should also include a list of opposition members with their signatures. The speaker, after confirmation, notifies the opposition leader.
During the core committee meeting, PTI decided to launch a protest campaign against the against the price hike that would start from November 1 in Punjab. The government’s decisions of raising electricity and gas prices and other such measures have resulted in unprecedented inflation and price hike, the party noted.
The party also decided that every single elected member of the PTI will disclose his financial assets and in this regard the tax returns of MPAs and MNAs would be uploaded on party website within a month.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2013.
COMMENTS (32)
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ET article headline is wrong because PTI in core committee meeting have clearly decided that it will not seek any support from MQM and rejected name of Sheikh Rasheed as Opposition leader http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16gz7i
@Yasir:
Sirji, how can you forget another latest achievement:
All three provinces have drafted and had ratified their Local Bodies Bill through their assemblies and have given the dates for Local Bodies Election. On the other hand, the so called torchbearers of change have not only not passed the bill but dilly dallying with the courts on the date KPK will hold the elections.ET article headline is wrong because PTI in its core committee meeting have clearly decided that it will not seek any support from MQM and rejected name of Sheikh Rasheed as Opposition leader http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16gz7i
Three latest acheivements of PTI 1- KPK policy given access of private calls..well conceived by Dr Younis Butt 2- Punjab Opposition leader's borth get "rewarding placement" in LDA 3- Now contact MQM (declared murderers of Zuhra Shahid) vid Sheeda Tally
Well done modern Jamat e Islami & mummy daddies...change is coming very fast
once again PTI missed the bus....first when Dr.Qadri incited him to joined him in Islamabad dharna ,at that time IK was dreaming of becoming Prime Minister....now once again not making Sheikh Rasheed as combined opposition leader....Sheikh Rasheed would have made life of Nawas Shareef difficult....
ET article headline is misleading because PTI in its core committee meeting have clearly decided that it will not seek any support from MQM and rejected name of Sheikh Rasheed as Opposition leader http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16gz7i
@Raghu: Agreed. PTI all the way. Report clearly indicates they will NOT side with MQM. Till that holds valid, PTI can do great work as the opposition. Because evidently enough this government is failing to deliver to its people and consistently adopting policies which are inhumane and make this country a slave to foreign nations.
@Ahmed:
So in other words, Sheikh Rasheed is on one hand owes his electoral success to PTI from NA-56 and PTI considers Rasheed to be IK's most trusted allies. On the other hand, Rasheed is openly interacting with MQM with whom IK is at loggerheads and alleges them to have murdered Zohra Shahid as well hijacking the mandate of Karachi through rigging the elections. Pardon me for saying this but either IK is a knucklehead of the highest pedigree (No doubt about it) that his ally is openly flouting the ideology of IK vis-a-vis MQM or Rasheed is doing what he is doing upon the cajoling of IK.
No! ---- MQM must keep out of this opportunist's all games. Period.
PTI in its core committee meeting have clearly decided that it will not seek any support from MQM and rejected name of Sheikh Rasheed as Opposition leader http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16gz7ipti-core-committee-rejects-sheikh-rasheed-name-as-opposition-leadernews#from=embediframe
PTI Pls concentrate upon those [KPK] people who elected u to change their faith not by making clames but showing something on the grounds.Pls hurry up before the suffering people rise against you.
Tehreek-e-Insaf deserves to have the slot of opposition leader in the house. It's the only true representative party in the national assembly with a clean record.
@Aysha M:
Thats the way extortion works, unless rooted out ofcourse, a process that has thankfully started, and will hopefully be seen all the way through. And last time i checked Edgware Road in London wasn't middle class.
sorry to say but PTI have clearly said officially that it will not seek support of MQM.
first of all pti core committee have decided will not go to mqm for any support & sorry to say but the headline is misleading because its sheikh rasheed who is saying that he got the support of MQM.
IK will visit Bilawal house....he want to keep old tradition....friendly opposition...this is naya pakistan...to maintain status quo....
ET only sharing anti-PTI comments. Especially Adnan and AyshaM comments are always welcome.
Are you people dumb or blind. Did not u read: “Alliance with MQM would be like compromising on our stance,” a PTI official told The Express Tribune. What a shame.....
MQM should support PPP, they are here to stay, can't say the same for PTI.
@Counter Strike: 90 yatraa is unavoiadable, sooner or later one has to do it. It would be great to see Imran Khan getting out of Banigala and visiting a middle class locality Azizabad
Shame on those two faced hypocrites who were once chiding PML-N for soliciting MQM's support for Mamnoon Hussin during the Presidential Elections. Now then my little cult worshipers, how would you justify your leader "Softening his stance" for a party which is alleged to have killed Zohra Shahid? Sacrificing principals for some lousy and petty political gain.
IK is being rapidly led into the oblivion by a person called Sheeda Tully who was not loyal to even his most biggest beneficiaries in NS and Musharraf.
Uploading of financial data on party website.....Lolzzz! Man o man and then the Insafi fan boys get cheezed off at the haters group when their so called party is labelled as a Fan Club. Who would give two hoots about something which is selectively uploaded just for the consumption of a few dimwits.
As for the Leader of the Opposition, IK does not stand a chance for himself. Tully is a known opportunist and so is MQM. The moment PML-N throws a bone in the path of Sheeda, he would quit howling. As for MQM, they have got too much going on with PPP in Sindh and PML-N in center to be in a position to do anything unilaterally. This is a big boys club and pop sickles like IK and his political mentor in Sheikh Rasheed are just a speck of dust.
That will be the end of PTI
Going to Nine Zero Imran? Eh?
This is the first sensible move by the PTI. The MQM must support Sheikh Rasheed if he decides to be recognized as the opposition leader. Finally, there is some hope of the 'muk muka' coming to an end. Salams
Chasing too many rabbits is at a time is a bad political strategy. Concentrate on the agenda of promised change in KPK only.