CHARSADDA: Pakistan Peoples Party central general secretary Nayyar Bukhari has said he believes that the PDM has disintegrated, so it should no more be called an alliance of the opposition parties He said this after visiting Walibagh here on Thursday along with Senator Sherry Rehman to enquire after Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, who recovered from coronavirus lately.

They discussed the country’s political situation.

It was the first visit of the PPP leaders to Walibagh since the ANP parted ways with the 10-party opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), last Tuesday.

Mr Bukhari told reporters that the overall political situation of the country came under discussion during the meeting.

He said he believed that the PDM had disintegrated, so it should no more be called an alliance of the opposition parties.

The PPP leader said the PPP and ANP remained partners in the past and have good working relations.

He said the two parties would continue to have friendly relations.

Bukhari visits Wali Bagh along with Sherry, enquires after Asfandyar

Mr Bukhari said the PPP and ANP had similar opinion on the 18th Constitutional Amendment, provincial autonomy, change of the province’s name, NFC Award and other issues, and would continue efforts for the strengthening of democracy in the country.

He said the party’s central executive committee would meet in Karachi on April 11 to make ‘important’ decisions.

On the occasion, ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said his party was forced to quit the opposition alliance.

“The PDM was successfully making a struggle for the restoration of real democracy and ouster of the PTI government but a non-issue divided it,” he said.

Mr Hussain said the ANP had lost justification for further stay in the alliance after being given a show cause notice by PDM general secretary Khaqan Abbasi of the PML-N for helping the PPP get its candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani elected as the opposition leader in the Senate.

He said whether the PDM existed or not, the ANP would continue its struggle against the ‘selected’ PTI government and coordinate with like-minded parties for the supremacy of law and parliament.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2021