Zardari, Bilawal to meet Shujaat to inquire health, discuss politics

LAHORE: Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto will meet Monday with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain indicating the opposition’s focus towards the government’s coalition partners in its strategy in the power game.

The upcoming meeting of Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto with Chaudhry Shujaat today is the part of the opposition’s game plan before a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, sources said.

PPP leaders will inquire about the health of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as well as discuss the political situation.

According to sources, the PPP leaders will try to convince the PML-Q leadership to quit the government coalition.

The meeting is also expected to be attended by other PML-Q leaders, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Moonis Elahi, Tariq Bashir Cheema and Chaudhry Salik Hussain, sources said.

“The People’s Party and the PML-N in a recent summit meeting of their leaders on Saturday had agreed to establish contacts with the government allies,” sources said.

“A session of the opposition alliance PDM had also discussed a suggestion to create a fissure between the ruling PTI and its partners in the government,” according to sources.

“The opposition parties will contact other allies of the government in the next step,” sources said.

People’s Party’s leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto on Saturday attended a luncheon meeting with opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif at his residence in Lahore.

Maryam Nawaz, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Hamza Shehbaz and some other PML-N leaders also attended the huddle and consulted over the movement against the government.

The opposition leaders discussed and strategised their next move against the government in the meeting.