Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Sunday decided that they would become part of the parliament and not opt for a boycott, a private TV channel reported.
“Despite their reservations, both PML-N and PPP have decided that their elected candidates will take the parliamentary oath,” the report said.
A day earlier, former leader of opposition in National Assembly Khursheed Shah said he had apprised PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif that the PPP does not want to boycott parliament.
The two parties also agreed to lodge protest against alleged rigging in the general elections in parliament. Advisory committees of both the parties will meet each other and leaders of other political parties in this regard and make a formal announcement.
PPP’s advisory committee comprises Khursheed Shah, Naveed Qamar, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babar and Qamar Zaman Kaira. While the PML-N committee will include former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Saad Rafique and National Assembly former speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
The committees of PML-N and PPP will meet Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leadership. They will also meet Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfandyar Wali, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Mehmood Achakzai and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) member Farooq Sattar.
The suggestion to boycott parliament came up during the all-parties conference Friday evening. While speaking to media after the APC on Friday, MMA President Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced that the opposition parties have severe reservations over July 25 poll results. “Opposition parties have decided that their parliamentarians will not take oaths till elections are held again,” the MMA president had said.
However, Shehbaz had remarked that he could take any decision pertaining to oath taking till discussion with the party leadership. It had also been reported that the decision pertaining to the issue will be made after consultation with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is currently imprisoned at Adiala Jail.
Published in Daily Times, July 30th 2018.
