PDM to make important decisions in Lahore meeting today

LAHORE : The leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are meeting today at Jati Umra in Lahore to make final decisions regarding the future course of action of its anti-government campaign.

The 11-party Opposition alliance will deliberate upon en masse resignations from the assemblies and contesting the Senate elections and by-polls. The meeting has assumed significance after the PPP decided to take part in the election process.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has already arrived in Lahore, while PPP leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will join the meeting via a video link.

Jamiat Ulema Pakistan head Shah Owais Noorani will lead a delegation of his party. The Qaumi Watan Party will be represented by Aftab Ahmed Sherpao and Hashim Babar.

 ‘PML-N to contest by-polls’

The PML-N has decided in principle to contest the by-polls, sources within the party said on Thursday.

According to the sources, a day earlier when PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz met PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, she discussed contesting by-polls.

The sources added that if the PPP decides to “stick to its decision of contesting Senate elections, then PML-N will also consider the same”.

They said that the party will deliberate on the matter further after January 31 — the “deadline” given by the PDM to Prime Minister Imran Khan to step down.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that each party must decide on its own whether or not it wants to contest the by-elections, the sources said, adding that the matter will be taken up by the PDM in their meeting on January 1.

According to the sources, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ” will be persuaded to not pursue contesting the Senate elections as yet”.

‘PDM to hear PPP’s stance’

On Wednesday, the PDM said it will hear from Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari about the party’s stance on various options in the ongoing anti-government campaign.

In a press conference in Islamabad, PDM chief Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz expressed their willingness to hear from the party chairman himself what PPP’s stance is on matters such as participation in the Senate elections and resignations from assemblies.

Their remarks come in the backdrop of a PPP Central Executive Committee meeting held on Tuesday following which speculation was rife that legal experts have advised party heads against untimely resignations from the national and provincial assemblies.

Bilawal, in a media briefing following the meeting, put to rest such rumours, saying that although the CEC is in favour of challenging the PTI government at every forum, including Senate elections, nothing final has been announced.

The PPP chairman also said the party would collect all of its lawmakers’ resignations by December 31 and will put all matters discussed in the CEC meeting before the PDM leadership in the meeting on January 1.