PPP expresses willingness for fresh polls if "Pakistan PM chooses to dissolve parliament's lower house"
Aug 05, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], August 5 : Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said on Sunday that his party was willing to hold fresh elections "if Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chooses to dissolve the lower house of parliament," Geo News reported.
The statement comes after an increase in the federal government's loaded frustration, which was demonstrated by its subdued criticism of the apex court for delaying its verdict on reserved seats. According to political observers, this trend can jeopardise the ruling coalition's two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
Speaking to a private news channel, Bukhari said, "If there is a danger," adding "[...] then the Prime Minister should advise dissolving parliament and going for new elections."
He questioned the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership for not providing details to the PPP "if it is facing any danger." He said the PPP was willing to strengthen the PML-N in parliament. However, the ruling party has to deliver, according to Geo News report.
Slamming the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bukhari said that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had many times offered to mediate and help negotiate political disputes, adding, "But, someone should express willingness to sit and talk."
He called PTI founder Imran Khan an "untrustworthy man who takes U-turns in politics as a matter of pride." Speaking about Imran Khan's recent remarks, he said that the former Pakistan PM had shown his willingness to hold negotiations with the establishment and announced authorising senior politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai to hold talks. However, he later stepped back from his statement.
Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the PPP believed in the supremacy of the constitution and that every solution should be based on the constitution. He warned that Pakistan would face consequences if the system were derailed, Geo News reported.
Concerns for the coalition government have been raised following court's reserved seats' verdict,, which resurrected PTI in the national and provincial assemblies.
Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar voiced concerns over the delay in the issuance of the detailed verdict of the Supreme Court's ruling on July 12 while calling for a discourse on the dissenting note of two judges.
Speaking about the dissenting note written by Justices Amin-Ud-Din Khan and Naeem Akhtar Afghan, who were part of the full court bench, Tarar said that discussions should be held on the issues mentioned in the said document.
His remarks refer to the Supreme Court's ruling in July, wherein it declared the Imran Khan-founded party eligible for reserved seats for women and minorities in the assemblies after overturning the decisions of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Geo News reported.
Since the apex court's decision, the ECP has notified 39 out of 80 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) as PTI members, along with 93 lawmakers in the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh assemblies, as "returned candidates" of the Imran Khan-founded party, according to Geo News report.
After the fragmentary implementation, the commission, two weeks ago, approached the Supreme Court, requesting legal and constitutional guidance on the matter of the remaining PTI lawmakers in the national and provincial assemblies. Meanwhile, the PML-N and PPP have filed review pleas on the full court's 8-5 order.