PMLN wants key issues resolved before no-trust move

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) wants opposition parties to resolve all key issues before a formal announcement of a no-trust motion against the government, sources said Friday.

The sources informed this correspondent that PMLN big guns think that the component parties of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) should develop a consensus on the name of prime minister for an interim setup before the PDM meeting that would be held on Jan 25.

“The PMLN wants to develop a consensus on the name of the next prime minister before the upcoming PDM meeting. If it happens, the opposition parties are likely to move a no-confidence motion against the government in the first week of February,” the sources said.

The sources claimed that the PPP during the initial stage of the latest communication with the PMLN had floated two proposals --- the PMLN should propose the name of its own party member and the opposition parties should develop a consensus on the name of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

“Te PMLN had rejected both proposals given by the PPP stating neither any PMLN member would become prime minister nor it would support Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for this slot,” the sources said.

PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said: “The PMLN is the biggest opposition party in the National Assembly and it has the right to present the name of its member for the post of the prime minister.”

The sources also claimed that the PMLN stance may create problems for some ‘stakeholders’ who seemed to be in a hurry to say goodbye to the present setup for obvious reasons. The sources said if the opposition parties failed to develop a consensus on the name of the next prime minister, the PDM would not make any clear-cut announcement about a no-confidence motion after its upcoming meeting.

“Both Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman had categorically stated in their last media talk that the PDM would discuss the issue of an in-house change in its upcoming meeting. But the agenda of the PDM meeting released to the media had not contained the issue of a no-confidence motion,” the sources said.

The sources said two out of three opposition members — Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman – were now supporting the proposal that an interim setup should stay for at least six months but former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was not ready to give it more than a month.

“Maulana Fazlur Rehman was previously supporting the stance of Nawaz Sharif that the interim setup should immediately announce fresh general elections. But now he has changed his viewpoint and is of the view that the interim setup should be given some time. He (Fazl) is also hopeful that his party would be given due share in provincial governments of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhawa and Balochistan during the interim setup,” the sources said.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told The News that “We are of the view that the interim setup should immediately announce fresh general elections. We do not support the idea that the national and provincial assemblies should complete their constitutional

terms because each and every Pakistani knows that 2018 elections had been rigged and votes stolen to install Imran Khan.”

Replying to a question, he said; “Whenever general elections would be held Nawaz Sharif will become prime minister. The party stands by its leader who has rendered innumerable sacrifices for the people of this country.” This correspondent also contacted JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri but he avoided giving comments.