Presidential election: Opposition still in disarray

ISLAMABAD: The senior leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have agreed not to withdraw Maulana Fazlur Rehman from the presidential election.

The decision was made in a meeting held at the PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif's Model Town residence. In a press conference held after the meeting, Fazl urged the Pakistan People’s Party to agree on the decision made by the joint opposition parties over his name for the slot as by not withdrawing its candidate, the party was providing an opportunity to the PTI to have its president, adding that it paved the way for Imran Khan to become the prime minister by not voting in the leader of the house election.

In the meeting, Fazl and Shahbaz discussed the future strategy regarding the upcoming presidential elections. Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Akram Khan Durrani accompanied the JUI-F chief, while PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and others were present in the meeting.

Fazl said that he had been nominated as the presidential candidate by all the opposition parties except the PPP. "We will try to have a consensus over the joint opposition candidate," he said.

The join opposition's candidate said that he had cordial relations with the Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari, and requested him to withdraw the PPP candidate for the unity of opposition parties.

"The PPP should accept the opposition's candidate today to express unity among them," he said. Hamza Shahbaz, the PML-N leader, said that the opposition will put its maximum efforts for success in the presidential election.

"We will also reach the political parties who have not agreed to support Fazl," the PML-N leader said. According to sources, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has resolved to put across a strong case for the party’s nominee for the opposition’s candidate for presidential election i.e. Aitzaz Ahsan.

The disagreement over the presidential nominee among the opposition members is yet to reach a breakthrough as the PPP continues to maintain that the party won't take back Senator Ahsan's nomination.

A PPP delegation campaigning for the presidential election reached Lahore earlier Sunday. The delegation comprises senior party members including former opposition leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah, Aitzaz Ahsan, Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, and Qamar Zaman Kaira.

The delegation will hold meetings with PPP’s MNAs and leaders of other parties in Lahore. It will later meet political leaders in the federal capital. The presidential election will be held on September 4. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has named Arif Alvi its candidate, while PPP’s candidate is Aitzaz Ahsan. Five parties of the opposition have selected JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman as their candidate for the election.

A divide in the opposition has improved the probability of victory of PTI’s candidate. Qamar Zaman Kaira said his party was ready to meet Nawaz Sharif to seek his party parliamentarians' votes for its presidential candidate Aitzaz Ahsan.

While addressing a news conference in Lahore on Sunday, Kaira said they wanted to meet Nawaz and were also ready to go to the Adiala Jail to do so but could not. He added the reason behind cancelling the plan could not be disclosed.

According to Kaira, the PPP was not in alliance with the opposition. He said they had only come together against rigging. However, he was of the view that the PML-N should vote in favour of their candidate.

Reiterating the PPP’s stance on the presidential election, Kaira said they wished the opposition would have fielded a joint candidate for the president’s slot. But, he added, now they were expecting Maulana Fazlur Rehman to withdraw and not to contest the polls. Nevertheless, the PPP would meet MNAs and MPAs on Sunday regarding the presidential election, Kaira added.