Bilawal Bhutto tears up PDM show-cause notice in PPP's CEC meeting: sources

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday tore up show-cause notice served to his party by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) over Senate opposition leader appointment, ARY News reported, citing sources.

According to sources privy to the details of the meeting, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari read the show-cause notice served to PPP by PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting being held here in Karachi.

During the meeting, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tore up the show-cause notice of PDM. His act was commended by the party leaders who were present in the CEC meeting, sources confirmed ARY News.

“We do politics for honor, nothing is more than respect,” said Bilawal in the meeting.

A meeting of the opposition alliance headed by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman had issued a show-cause notice to the PPP and ANP to explain their positions over deviating from the PDM’s decision to support the PML-N candidate as the opposition leader in the Senate.

‘PML-N will be responsible if PDM break-up’

The Central Executive Committee session of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) also decided not to resign from the assemblies.

As per sources, the party’s CEC session was chaired by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the party leadership will conclude the CEC meeting tomorrow.

The decisions taken will be announced at 2pm, sources within Bilawal House said.

Sources within the PPP said that the party leadership during the CEC meeting decided that PPP will neither leave PDM nor resign from assemblies.

“PPP will not leave PDM as it made the opposition alliance,” according to sources privy to the details of the meeting.

The participants in PPP’s CEC meeting were of the view that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will be responsible if the opposition alliance – Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) breakdown.

Gilani offers to resign as Senate opposition leader

In a bid to mend cracks in the ranks of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Pakistan Peoples Party senior leader Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday offered to resign as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

According to sources, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani made the offer during PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting in Karachi.

Yousuf Raza Gilani said that he was ready to tender resignation as Senate opposition leader right now if 1his party allows him. He maintained that the other opposition parties should avoid leveling baseless allegations on his party.

The sources said that PPP’s Central Executive Committee rejected his resignation offer. The meeting’s participant told the former prime minister that the entire party stood with him.

‘CEC meeting adjourned’

Later, Bilawal in a tweet confirmed that the PPP’s CEC meeting has been adjourned until tomorrow, said that it will resume in the morning. “Will be addressing the press early tomorrow afternoon,” he added.

PPP CEC meeting has been adjourned until tomorrow morning. Will be addressing the press early tomorrow afternoon IA. pic.twitter.com/EYUCOHyHxG

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) April 11, 2021

It is pertinent to mention here that Awami National Party (ANP) last week had announced to part ways with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) after the former was served a show-cause notice over supporting PPP in the appointment of opposition leader in Senate.

“I being a vice president of the ANP announces to part ways with the PDM,” MNA Ameer Haider Hoti announced the decision in a presser saying that certain political groups have hijacked the opposition alliance.