A few days ago, PML-N President and Opposition Leader in the NationalAssembly hosted a sumptuous dinner for the PDM leaders, with the maintarget of persuading the PPP and the ANP to rejoin the eight-month-oldopposition alliance that had been set up to oust the PTI government.
After the dinner, the media reported that although the PPP and the ANP hadjoined the dinner, though not through the real invitees, those whorepresented their respective parties had sought time to take a decision onbecoming a part of the opposition’s coalition once again.
Both these parties had parted ways with the PDM after they had been issuedshow-cause notices by the alliance secretary-general – Shahid Khakan Abbasi– for pursuing policies inconsistent with the alliance policy.
At a party meeting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tore the show-causenotices into pieces and parted ways with the PDM, asserting that he was notanswerable to anyone except his own party. This dealt a serious blow to theopposition bloc as the PPP was its second largest constituent.
The “volcanic” reaction established beyond doubt that the PPP was leastinterested in rejoining the alliance, which it had conceived and launchedfor riddance from the PTI government.
The ANP also took a similar decision, after which the PML-N and the JUI-Fwere the only major parties left in the PDM.
However, on Tuesday PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawazlink caused serious embarrassmentto her uncle Shehbaz Sharif link whenshe said that the dinner hosted by the PML-N president had nothing to dowith the PDM’s politics.
As for the possibility of the PPP returning to the PDM’s fold, she said theparty should first answer the show cause and then the matter of themrejoining the alliance would be looked into.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former prime minister and vice president of thePML-N, said the PDM’s doors have been closed for the PPP and in case it wasre-inducted in the alliance, the coalition would have to look for a newsecretary general, a post being held by him at present.
This was a clear message that Shehbaz Sharif’s efforts to persuade the PPPor the ANP back into the alliance were not tolerable for him.
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His stand on the subject was similar to that of Maryam. And this is not thefirst time similarity of thought between Maryam and Khaqan has beenwitnessed.
While Mian Nawaz Sharif and Maryam have the same opinion on all matters,Shahid Khaqan is a true follower of the father and daughter.
Interestingly, PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s stance about thepossibility of the PPP and the ANP returning to the alliance’s fold is evenharsher.
He has been quoted as saying that the PPP had torn apart the show cause;now it should piece together the show cause, read it again and come up withan appropriate reply. Otherwise, he made it clear there was no room for thePPP and the ANP in the alliance.
Also, he said the two parties should apologise for taking a hasty decisionon parting ways with the PDM.
At this juncture the question is not whether the PPP and the ANP rejoin thealliance or not; the question is of the status of Mian Shehbaz Shariflink in the PML-N and his say inthe PDM as head of the coalition’s biggest constituent.
As a matter of principle, Shehbaz Sharif’s initiative to bring theestranged PPP and ANP back to the PDM should have been appreciated by allalliance leaders. But he had to face embarrassment at the hands of theparty.
