PPP to reach out to ‘all political parties’ over govt formation | The Express Tribune

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Monday announced its decision to engage in consultations with “all political parties” to facilitate the formation of a government following the February 8 general elections.

The decision was made during a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of the PPP a day after a meeting took place between the leadership of PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Lahore.

In the meeting of the CEC, according to a PPP statement, discussion was held regarding the general elections and the future of the country. The participants exchanged views over the country’s current political and economic situation, it added.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, PPP leader Sherry Rehman stated, “We have decided to consult with all political parties, and a committee will be formed by tomorrow to lead this consultation process.”

She emphasised that no final decisions had been made and that the consultation process between the party leadership and its members would continue tomorrow.

Rehman further noted that during the meeting, PPP members provided suggestions to the leadership.

The party’s CEC meeting will resume its discussion in this regard on Tuesday at 3pm.

Protests and rigging allegations have marred the crucial polls, with several political parties, primarily the PTI, challenging the results in different courts and before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Read more: Maneuvering begins to cobble up ‘PDM 2.0’

Several candidates’ victories have already been challenged before the ECP and courts across the country, which have withheld results from certain constituencies.

However, The Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq Kakar and the ECP have rejected the allegations, insisting the polls were “free and fair.”

The PPP’s CEC meeting was held a day after a flurry of meetings took place in Lahore. First, the PML-N met the MQM-P and later with the PPP, where the parties, which in total have the numerical strength to form a coalition government, in “principle agreed to work together”.

PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, younger brother of his party supremo Nawaz Sharif, along with a sizable delegation held his first official meeting with the PPP leadership at Lahore’s Bilawal House. He met with PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and his son, party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

However, in reality this was the second meeting between the two sides, with the first somewhat clandestine one held at Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s residence on February 9, where Nawaz’s message was communicated to the PPP leadership.

‘PPP wants premiership’

Multiple sources have already told The Express Tribune that the PPP wanted the premiership for itself and not keen on giving this position to the PML-N leadership.

PPP spokesperson Faisal Kareem Kundi had said that his suggestion would be to either have their premier or sit in the opposition benches if the PML-N did not agree to it.

Also read: No talks on forming next govt, says MQM-P after PML-N moot

Talking to a private TV news channel, Irfan Siddiqui, a PML-N leader, when asked about PPP’s desire of having their prime minister in the coalition set-up, said his party in its internal meeting had not decided its position on its former ally’s demand for the premier’s slot.

He said the PML-N was the majority party and that was why it had the prerogative of making its own premier.

Siddiqui added that the PML-N hoped that all parties in the alliance would adhere to democratic principles and norms.

A PPP insider earlier said his party wanted to see its leadership at the helm of affairs, but at this stage it was taking a cautious approach.

He said the PPP was busy roping in independent candidates quietly as opposed to the PML-N, which was celebrating its small victories.

He added that as the PML-N had the numerical advantage, the PPP wanted the dust to settle before makings its final decision.