No-trust motion: Zardari tasked to deal with MPs of govt, allies

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The meeting of three top political leaders on bringing a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan remained inconclusive on Wednesday as the joint opposition has yet to decide against whom they would bring the no-confidence move first, the Punjab CM or the PM.

PMLN President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, former president and PPP’s Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rahman met here on Wednesday evening at the residence of the PMLN leader.

Sources said during the trio’s meeting, Maulana Fazlur Rahman expressed his dissatisfaction over the delay in the announcement of a no-confidence motion and asked both leaders to reach a final conclusion within the next two days.

The sources said the PMLN wanted to bring the no-confidence motion directly against Prime Minister Imran Khan while the PPP wanted to bring the no-trust move against the speaker National Assembly as well as Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

The sources said the PPP leader revealed that the members of Jehangir Tareen group, who were secretly supporting the united opposition, were also of the view that as the first step, the no-confidence motion should be brought against the speaker because as per the Constitution, it will be held through a secret ballot.

The second difference in the united opposition was that who would become the head of the government if the no-confidence movement was successful, as anyone, who will take charge, will have to implement the IMF’s agenda and face the wrath of public.

The sources said Shehbaz Sharif wanted someone from within the PPP as the prime minister while the PPP wanted Shehbaz Sharif to be the next prime minister, a proposal which he was reluctant to accept. They claimed that former president Asif Ali Zardari nominated Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister while Shehbaz named PPP’s Khursheed Shah for the slot.

The delegation, headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, included Akram Durrani, Maulana Asadur Rehman and Maulana Amjad while the PPP’s delegation included PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza and others.

Before the arrival of Asif Ali Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Shehbaz Sharif met in person and Shehbaz Sharif took the PDM chief into confidence. The two leaders discussed various issues against the government, including the no-confidence motion.

The sources maintained that former president Asif Ali Zardari, PMLN president Shehbaz Sharif and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman discussed the opposition's strategy against the government. The meeting also gave former president Asif Ali Zardari the power to settle matters with the ruling coalition parties.

The sources said the PMLN president told the meeting that the PMLN would announce its candidate for the slot of prime minister in case of success of the no-confidence motion. However, the sources said that the PDM’s chief asked both the leaders to show the names of PTI’s rebels but they didn’t reveal the names on the pretext that it might be early to reveal their names.

The former president apprised the meeting of the positive contacts being made with the ruling coalition parties, the PML-Q and the Balochistan Awami Party. The participants of the meeting expressed satisfaction over the numbers game.

On the other hand, the sources said the opposition parties have also started signing the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the united opposition claimed the support of 24 members of the ruling party.

The sources claimed the opposition parties have 162 members and 10 more votes were needed to make the no-confidence motion a success. The PMLN has claimed having the support of 16 government members while the PPP claimed having support of six government members and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) said they had the support of two government members.

Meanwhile, the PMLN secretary information issued an official statement about the meeting, which stated that the PPP, PMLN and PDM leaders have formed a committee, comprising all opposition parties, to determine the political and legal strategy and the timing of no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

It said an important consultative meeting of the top leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was held on Wednesday at the residence of PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif.

The meeting was attended by PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former president Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif. Apart from Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Maryam Aurangzeb, JUI-F Parliamentary Leader Maulana Asad-ur-Rehman and Central Leader Akram Khan Durrani were also present in the meeting.

The leaders discussed the overall situation in the country and agreed that the entire Pakistan was in agreement to get rid of the present government as soon as possible. The scourge of inflation as a whole was unleashed on the people and the brutality with which it continues unabated is unbearable and unacceptable to the people. The continuous rise in prices of essential commodities, including electricity, gas, petrol, especially food items, had broken the back of people, especially the poor and the daily-wage earners.

They said over the last three-and-a-half years, the government had plagued the country by oppressive direct and indirect taxes, consequently the economy was destroyed as a result of reckless policies and decisions, the value of rupee and historic increase in domestic and foreign debt.

The meeting expressed alarm over the fact that due to the government's actions, the atmosphere of national unity and solidarity in Pakistan was being severely damaged. Distrust was also building in the constitutional arrangement of resource allocation between the Federation and its units, which was extremely concerning and damaging national interest. The opposition stated that it was united and united for the protection and promotion of federalism.

They said, “The process of transgressing the limits set by the present government in the Constitution has now taken an authoritarian and fascist approach in which the latest black laws have been enacted through ordinances. The conspiracy of PECA Laws seeks to make the media, political opponents and every individual, deaf, dumb, blind and tongue-tied. It is to collectively impose dictatorship on the whole country, which is not only against the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution especially the right to freedom of expression but also against the basic concept of national and international human rights and the principles of democratic society. We will challenge and block these unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic measures in every legal forum."

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday revealed that at least three MNAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were offered money by the opposition for support to their no-trust move.

The minister said these three legislators included one minority MNA and a female member of the assembly, adding bidding had started by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party to revive horse-trading.

Fawad was talking to media persons, along with State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib, following the central executive committee meeting of the ruling party, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, hours before his departure on a two-day visit to Russia. The forum expressed full confidence in the prime minister and the government and paid tributes for following an independent and neutral foreign policy.

Referring to a meeting between PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari and PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday night, Fawad remarked: “Yesterday night you saw that two big businessmen met in Lahore. One of them is facing money laundering cases in Lahore and the other in Karachi. The two traders met yesterday with the aim of spending money on political maneuvering and contributing to horse-trading. They discussed how much money would be spent to disrupt the existing political system in the country”.

The minister said it was a great shame if one looked at the offer made to the PTI members and it was quite obvious that politics was being run at the expense of money. He lauded the role of PTI legislators and said "our members deserved tribute for refusing to sell their loyalty and informing their party leadership about such offers".

He said the PTI was preparing for the next elections and if the opposition had the courage and support of the members of the assembly, it should file a no-confidence motion within 24 hours. “If they bring a no-confidence motion within 24 hours, they will come to know what happens to them,” he asserted.

The minister claimed that Shehbaz Sharif was out of jail only because there was no daily hearing, both of them have submitted in writing in the courts that they are sick while they were engaged in political maneuvering and the courts should see this. Fawad said there was a hope that Shehbaz Sharif's case would now proceed on a daily basis and Shehbaz would soon be in jail and the same would happen to Zardari.

He said this was not the first time that the PMLN had tried to create a division in the army. Even at the time of General Asif Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif had tried to divide the army, he said, adding in every era, including Pervez Musharraf, the PMLN tried to divide the army.

Fawad maintained that dividing the army was a foolish and dangerous strategy of the PMLN and emphasised that ‘our army is a professional army, the whole army is united and under the Constitution of Pakistan, the army has to be with the government and it is with the government’.

He said PMLN leader Marriyum Aurangzeb should not have said such things. "I think she did not say such things herself, she must have been instructed by the top leadership of the party to say such things so she did so. But Marriyum Aurangzeb should refrain from saying such irresponsible things."

Speaking on the occasion, Farrukh Habib said that it is not yet important when the opposition will present a no-confidence motion but the important thing is that whether Asif Zardari goes to jail first or Shehbaz Sharif, who committed corruption. Farrukh Habib said that the cases of these two corrupt leaders should be heard on a daily basis and all these activities should be shown live in front of the media.

He said an important meeting of the Parliamentary Board on Local Government Elections was held in Punjab during which the selection of candidates was discussed, while in this regard the prime minister has also started a public relations campaign and we will launch this campaign.

Separately, in a statement, he said that today the PMLN is weeping over the PECA law while this law was made by the PMLN itself. “The inventor of fake news, bogus videos and the politics of slander, the PMLN has always been an expert in insulting the dignity of others to cover up its theft. The PECA Ordinance will not allow this lie to continue,” he noted.

In his response to PMLN leader Marriyum Aurangzeb's statement, he said that Shebhaz Sharif was at Zardari's door to save his lies, theft and corruption but the government will complete its constitutional term. Since the day the PTI government was formed in 2018, we have been hearing about resignations, sit-ins and no-confidence of the opposition, he said, adding the PDM itself was in tatters.