'United' opposition to support PML-N candidate for PM, PPP nominee for speaker

ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties on Thursday unanimously decided not to boycott parliament and give tough time to Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which is about to form government in the center as a result of July 25 elections, ARY News reported.

Addressing media after the conference attended by representatives from PML-N, PPP, MMA, ANP and other parties, Senator Sherry Rehman said that the opposition has decided not to boycott parliament for continuation of democracy despite reservations over transparency of elections.

“The united opposition has decided to support a PML-N nominee for election of prime minister while  PPP and MMA candidates will be supported for speaker and deputy speaker slots respectively,” Sherry Rehman told media.

The PPP leader, however, repeated that the elections weren’t transparent and some forces paved way for PTI to get majority seats in the parliament.

“We (opposition parties) have struggled a lot for democracy and have never given space to anti-democratic forces to rule so we will protest in whatever way possible but will not boycott the parliament,” said the PPP leader.

Earlier, while speaking to media, PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb too said that opposition parties will sit in parliament in order to “teach PTI a thing or two about opposition”.

“We were perhaps chosen to teach PTI a thing or two about opposition,” Marriyum told media.

It is pertinent to note here that Imran Khan-led PTI emerged as the biggest party in the parliament after July 25 elections by winning more than 110 seats out of 270 upon which polls were held.

The party now claims that it has enough MNAs and MPAs to form government both in center and Punjab. The party already has enough MPAs to form government in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.