GDA hints at withdrawing support from PTI’s opposition leader

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has authorised its two-member committee comprising its general secretary Dr Safdar Abbasi and information secretary Sardar Abdul Rahim to hold talks and take a decision regarding the ongoing efforts to change the leader of the opposition in Sindh.

The decision was made in a meeting on Saturday chaired by GDA Chief Coordinator and former federal minister Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashdi at the Kingri House, Karachi.

Besides, GDA leaders have also started making efforts to strengthen anti-Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) elements in Sindh before the general elections. The anti-PPP alliance has recently suffered a setback due to its leaders Ghous Bux Mahar and his son Shaharyar Mahar, who have a strong political influence in Shikarpur, joining the Peoples Party.

In this regard, GDA leaders also held a meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman on Saturday to discuss possible seat adjustments. Sources in the GDA also told The News that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Supreme Leader Nawaz Sharif has also contacted the GDA leadership to discuss possible electoral alliance against the PPP in Sindh.

However, no decisions regarding electoral alliance and seat adjustment have been finalised as talks between the GDA and other parties are in the initial stages. The final decisions are likely to be announced after the caretaker governments have been formed in the province and the Centre.

Opposition leader issue

The meeting to discuss the issue of the leader of the opposition in Sindh was attended by Dr Abbasi, Rahim, Dr Fahmida Mirza, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Syed Zain Shah, Arif Mustafa Jatoi, Syed Jalal Shah Jamot, Ali Ghulam Nizamani, Dr Rafiq Banbhan, Naseem Rajpar, Abdul Razzaq and others.

During the meeting, the parties constituting the GDA assigned all the powers to a two-member negotiation committee consisting of Dr Abbasi and Rahim to take a decision regarding the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly.

The committee would contact all the opposition political parties in the Sindh

Assembly, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which has officially submitted a request to the Sindh Assembly secretariat for the appointment of its parliamentary leader Rana Ansar as the leader of the opposition in place of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Haleem Adil Sheikh, who has not been showing up in the assembly due to the ongoing crackdown against his party following the May 9 riots.

Chairing the meeting, Rashdi remarked that though the GDA had allied itself with the PTI but it was a separate political entity. He clarified that the GDA and PTI had contested the last general elections separately, possibly hinting that the party may withdraw its support for Sheikh for the opposition leader’s slot. He, however, added that the MQM-P had not taken the GDA on board before applying for the slot of the opposition leader.

In response to a question, he said the PPP’s actual candidate for the prime minister was the ‘elder Zardari’. “The younger Zardari is just a showpiece,” he added. He also called for neutrality of the caretaker government.

Regarding the elections, Rashdi said he was seeing the general elections in 2023 because the issue of census and constituencies had not been resolved.

Sources within the GDA informed The News that late at night, Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori also called on the GDA leadership to seek the alliance’s support for the MQM-P’s opposition leader. However, no breakthrough was achieved in that meeting.

Fazl’s media talk

On Saturday evening, the JUI-F chief called on the GDA leadership at the Kingri House. They discussed the current situation of the country, possibilities of electoral alliance and the caretaker government in Sindh and Centre.

Taking to the media after the meeting, Fazl said the caretaker governments would be formed for the purpose of holding the general elections. He announced that his party would take part in the polls across the country.

He stated that he now had no reservations about the meeting between Nawaz and Zardari. Nawaz would himself make a decision about his return, he added.

He said the JUI-F would make alliances on district level with other parties. However, he did not clarify whether any local alliance with the PTI was also an option.

Fazl said the chapter of Kaptan (Imran Khan) had closed. He added that the JUI-F would continue holding meetings with the GDA leadership.

Regarding the elections, he said the Council of Common Interests would decide whether the general elections would be held on the basis of the 2023 census or the previous census.