Ready to forgo Sindh govt: Bilawal

LAHORE: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that his party is ready to sacrifice the PPP-led government in Sindh to push for the removal of the PTI government in the Centre.

“All of us, including me, have decided to resign,” Bilawal told reporters on Wednesday. He said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will devise a strategy to use the “atom bomb” of resignations and long march against the incumbent government.

The PPP chairman once again reiterated the PDM’s demand for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation. He said the opposition would strategise in a way that the country is not destabilised.

“We know the workings of resistance and negotiations both,” he continued. “But now that we have launched a movement and are demanding Imran Khan’s resignation, the time for a national dialogue has expired.” However, Bilawal noted that talks were important in a democratic system. “We want to restore democracy in the country.”

When asked about his meeting with PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpath Jail yesterday, Bilawal said he had gone there to offer condolences over the demise of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz’s mother Begum Shamim Akhtar. “But when two politicians meet, there is obviously talk of politics,” he quipped. “We spoke on strengthening the PDM.”

Criticising the PTI government’s handling of the sugar and wheat crisis, Bilawal said Imran Khan had failed to alleviate sufferings of the people. “Now there is a looming gas crisis. Our inflation rate is the worst in the region.”

Talking about the December 16, 2014 terror attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar, Bilawal said the current government had failed victims of the APS massacre. “Ehsanullah Ehsan escaped under their watch. They [PTI] have abandoned APS victims and we condemn it.”

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari telephoned PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and exchanged views about the Senate elections and the strategy of the Pakistan Democratic Movement pledging that no unconstitutional means would be allowed to replicate the general elections of 2018 model in the Senate.

He also invited Maryam Nawaz to attend the Youm-e-Shahadat of former prime minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to be observed in Garhi Khuda Bux on December 27.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz discussed the current political situation following the PDM mobilisation through massive public meetings.

Bilawal and Maryam believed that the government is frustrated following the successful PDM mobilisation through massive public meetings.

It was decided between both the leaders that the PPP and PML-N should formulate a joint strategy from PDM platform with regard to Senate elections.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement ( PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the PDM would not allow the government to take a sigh of relief till January 31, 2021. While addressing a press conference at Jamia Sadiqia, Bahawalpur, he said that Senate elections are a constitutional matter and cannot be held earlier than the due date.

He further said that only the Pakistan Election Commission (ECP) is constitutionally empowered to hold Senate elections and rules and code of conduct for said election can be framed by ECP.

While referring to the decision of holding early Senate elections by PTI government, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that PTI government was a group of mentally deranged people. PDM President demanded that ECP should take immediate notice of this decision by illiterate people sitting in the cabinet of this illegitimate government and should initiate action.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman added that Senate elections can never be held early and by show of hands as these elections were held under proportional representation as laid down by the Constitution of Pakistan and presidential ordinance has nothing to do with Senate elections, he further said that even Supreme Court of Pakistan had no constitutional ower to pass an order for early Senate elections and could only annotate the constitution clause.

Referring to the political landscape of country JUI-F amir said if PDM is not going to resign from Parliament why the PTI government and spokesmen were worried. He also said that media shouldn’t focus only issue of PDM parties ' resignations from Parliament and it was not necessary for the PDM to show its all cards before the media.

Maulana Fazl insisted the establishment to withdraw its support from this illegitimate government and strengthened the democratic system of the country. He further said if the prevailing situation persisted any further, anarchy in the country would not be far away.

Earlier, Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani said that the federal cabinet has made an illegal move regarding the matter of the Senate elections. Addressing a press conference, Rabbani said that it is the job of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the polls in the Senate, therefore, the decisions related to the election dates also lie with the ECP.

His statement came after the government decided to pushback the date for Senate elections to February instead of March 2021 a day earlier and greenlighted the process of "open voting" in the Senate.

"Under Article 213 of the Constitution of Pakistan, only the ECP has the right to announce a date for elections," Raza Rabbani said. "Similarly, Article 224 of the Constitutions [pertaining to the time of election and by-election] states when the elections should be held."

He added that the Federal cabinet has made an "illegal move" in relation to the Senate elections by moving the date. "The term of the current senators will end on March 11, 2020, at 12 noon," Raza Rabbani said. "Decisions that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had to make are being made by the Cabinet."

Speaking about the process of conducting Senate elections through a "show of hands," Raza Rabbani said that the government does not have the power to get amendments passed by the House.

Rabbani added: "It's true that money influences Senate elections, but this [problem] can be abolished." The former senator said that the method of conducting the elections cannot be changed, adding that Pakistan is not a "banana republic."

"No one can violate the Constitution of Pakistan," he stressed. "Under Article 186, the Supreme Court can only give its opinion. Raza Rabbani also said that the provinces have not been given anything under the National Finance Commission (NFC) for the last 12 years.

"The government is talking about monitoring the NFC money in the provinces," he said. "The federal government should not tamper with the NFC, otherwise provinces will not collect taxes."

During the press conference, Rabbani also added that the Centre should respect provincial sovereignty, adding that the Hamoodur Rahman Commission — a judicial inquiry commission that assessed Pakistan's political-military involvement in East-Pakistan from 1947 to 1971 — should be brought to the fore. "We have not learned a lesson from the motives behind the formation of Bangladesh," Raza Rabbani said.