LAHORE – The PML-N and PPP opposition alliance is on the verge of collapseas reportedly PPP has refused to vote for PMLN President Shahbaz Sharif forthe slot of Prime Minister in the upcoming elections.
The alliance is virtually over as the PPP appears to be backing out fromvoting for Shahbaz Sharif in the parliamentary elections for the country’spremiership.
The two parties had come together after alleging mass engineering andrigging in the election results. The alliance comprises PML-N, PPP, MMA,ANP and others.
After multiple meetings, both had agreed that they would field jointcandidates for the prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker. Afterexhaustive discussions and meetings, it was agreed that Shahbaz would bethe candidate for premiership, Khursheed Shah for speaker and MaulanaAsad-ur-Rehman (son of Fazl-ur-Rehman) of MMA for deputy speaker.
Sources revealed that even at the time of drafting the post-APC jointdeclaration, PPP’s Sherry Rehman had objected to writing the words “JointOpposition” in the final text and had them change to “Joint Strategy”instead. This had raised many a brow in the PML-N ranks.
After the PAFFE had figured out that they could not make the government inthe Centre, it was proposed in the PML-N CWC meeting that Shahbaz shouldnot be fielded to lose against Imran in the elections for prime minister asit would be a negative start to his first time national parliamentmembership.
However, it was decided that to express full commitment to the objectivesof the alliance, the PML-N would not go back on its word. Later, Shahbazwas formally announced as the candidate.
However, the sources say certain matters remained undecided in thefollow-up meetings between the PPP and PML-N. In an exchange between theparties, on Monday, it was communicated by the PPP to the PML-N that theparty had internal disagreements and certain issues which restrained themfrom voting for Shahbaz as the premiership candidate, they added.