Senators from five PDM member parties recently called for the formation of an anti-government coalition comprising Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, National Party, and Balochistan National Party Mengal. decided.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of political parties opposed to the PTI government, appears to be in a state of disintegration at the end of the first half of its existence.
Disagreements in the PDM began with a proposal to resign from the assemblies between the two major parties, the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which came to the fore in the recent election of the Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House (Senate). , And are becoming the cause of the breakdown of the alliance.
Commenting on the situation, PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said: If these people persist in their stubbornness, the PDM will break up, but we (PPP) do not want that to happen, because we Are an important part.
Talking to Independent Urdu, he said that all the decisions of the PPP benefited the PDM and if the government had to take a defensive stance, then our proposal regarding resignations should also be considered.
Eleven opposition parties had announced the formation of the PDM in September last year, but only two months later, the Pashtun Tehreek Movement (PTM), a member of the decision-making steering committee comprising the leaders of the coalition parties. K Mohsin Dawar will not be a part of PDM from November 2020.
Senators from five PDM member parties in a meeting on Friday (April 3rd) called on the opposition, comprising Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, National Party, and Balochistan National Party Mengal. Decided to form an alliance.
The meeting demanded that the PDM issue a notice to the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Awami National Party (ANP) in the election of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate for the support of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) for PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani. Also did
Balochistan National Party Mengal Senator Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini told The Independent Urdu that 27 senators from five opposition parties in the Senate have decided that there is no need for other parties in the PDM. We can form an anti-government coalition and run it smoothly.
Azam Tarar, parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the Senate, said in a statement that the five opposition parties have 27 senators and have decided to form a new coalition.
Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini said the new opposition coalition would include eight PDM parties. In the event of a split between the PPP and the Awami National Party, there will be a maximum of eight parties in the 11-party PDM.
It should be noted that the PML-N considers itself entitled to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Senate while the post was won by Yousuf Raza Gilani of the PPP, and he is accused of seeking the support of government senators.
PML-N has indicated that it does not recognize Yousuf Raza Gilani as Leader of Opposition in the Senate, on which the PPP refused to recognize PML-N’s Shahbaz Sharif as Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly.
Contrary to the five-party decision, the PPP seems to be sticking to its stand. Chaudhry Manzoor raised the question of how one can remove a party from the PDM? The PDM is an alliance of political parties. None of them can be removed and no one can be given notice of reasons.
Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini said that the PDM steering committee could issue show-cause notices to any party member and even expel a party member from the alliance.
Replying to a question on the expulsion of Mohsin Dawar, Chaudhry Manzoor said that PDM is an alliance of political parties, while Mohsin Dawar has no affiliation with any registered party with the Election Commission.
The PPP leader added that all decisions in the PDM were decided by consensus and not by a majority, and that is what happens in political alliances.
He said that PPP is a part of PDM and all these things are just ways to put pressure. We have a meeting of the working committee on April 5. We will take any decision to the PDM.
Analysts believe that the existence of the PPP in the PDM is becoming unbearable for the PML-N and that is why the situation is being pushed in such a direction that the alliance is broken.
Muhammad Asif Mian (Wasi Baba), director of the website Hum Sab, said that the matter was now moving towards the 2023 elections because the opposition could not spoil the PTI government.
If the PDM stays, then in the elections the PML-N will have to accommodate other parties especially the PPP in Punjab ie they will have to give seats, and why would they want that?
What are the differences?
Pakistan Peoples Party, Muslim League-Nawaz, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman are considered to be the largest and most important parties in the PDM.
Ever since the formation of the PDM, there have been differences between the PPP and the PML-N over the issue of resignations from the assemblies.
Assemblymember Mohsin Dawar, who was present at the first PDM summit, said there was a difference of opinion between the two major parties on the issue of resignations from the beginning, and it was discussed. But if there was no agreement, the issue was raised later.
From the beginning, the PPP was not in favor of resigning from the assemblies, while the PML-N has been considering resigning from the provincial and national assemblies as the final step to overthrow the government.
A new wave of differences between the two parties arose in the election of the Chairman and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
According to PML-N, it was decided to give the post of Senate Chairman to PPP, Deputy Chairman JUI, and Leader of Opposition PML-N, however, PPP rejects this position.
After the defeat of Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Senate Chairman election, the Muslim League nominated its candidate for Leader of the Opposition, but the PPP started working for Yousuf Raza Gilani and with the help of its majority in the Senate and other parties. He succeeded in getting this position
