Maryam’s dictatorial attitude caused PDM’s breakup: PPP, ANP

CHARSADDA: A delegation of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders travelled to Wali Bagh, the residence of Awami National Party (ANP) head Asfandyar Wali on Thursday and held talks with him and other party leaders on the evolving political situation in the country. The delegation, sources said, visited Charsadda on the instruction of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to inquire after Asfandyar Wali and take the ANP into confidence about the changing political scenario. Led by Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, the PPP delegation comprising Sherry Rahman, Fazal Karim Kundi and Humayun Khan, who is the PPP provincial president, held talks with the ANP leaders.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Senator Hidayatullah Khan, Aimal Wali Khan and Sardar Hussain Babak represented the ANP in the talks.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the PPP would take the decision of whether or not to quit the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) at its Central Executive Party meeting. They blamed the dictatorial attitude of Maryam Nawaz for the disintegration of the opposition parties’ alliance.

“The split in the PDM began with the issuance of the show-cause notice,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain said, adding, it was an insult to ANP and couldn’t be tolerated.

Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the PPP had proposed Maulana Fazlur Rahman as the PDM head. “But the JUI-F chief adopted a step-motherly attitude towards PPP,” he complained. He said that the PPP was ready for the ‘long march’ to Islamabad and wanted to use resignations from the assemblies as a last option.

To a question, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the ANP had decided to support the PML-N candidate in the upcoming National Assembly constituency, NA-249 Karachi, by-election. “It was the decision of ANP’s Sindh chapter. Our leaders at the provincial level are empowered to take such decisions,” he went on to add.

Meanwhile, sources privy to the meeting said the PPP and ANP leaders also discussed the Idea of forming a new opposition political alliance comprising liberal-minded political parties. The decision about the new political entity would be announced after the PPP’s CEC decision on whether or not to quit the PDM, the sources added.