ISLAMABAD - While the ruling PPP and its allied parties have supported decision of National Assembly Speaker, Dr Fehmida Mirza about disqualification of PM Gilani as MNA, the main opposition party PML-N is engaged in finalising its counter-response. Well-placed parliamentary sources told TheNation on Friday that despite serious intra-coalition differences, PPP’s allied parties including PML-Q, ANP, MQM, PML (Functional) and FATA Group have unanimously backed the decision of Dr Mirza.
“We fully support the Speaker’s decision that is as per the Constitution,” sources in the PPP’s allied parties said, adding they would also support PPP on this issue despite differences on certain other issues. On the other hand, main opposition party in the National Assembly, PML-N is busy evolving its response to these developments as party is convening an importing meeting soon to discuss the situation to decide about its future strategy.
Sources said that PML-N also plans to take other opposition groups in the Parliament on board in a bid to evolve a joint course of action. However some parliamentary sources were of the view that PML-N might not get the desired support from other opposition groups largely because of its differences with JUI (F) over the issue of appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
“To the utmost, JUI (F) might follow the middle course that would not help PML-N”, a MNA from FATA group told TheNation requesting anonymity. He was of the opinion that other small opposition groups including PPP (Sherpao) and National Party Balochistan (NPB) were unlikely to support the PML-N largely because of the political mileage they could get from the ruling alliance in the next general elections. Sources in the ruling alliance were of the firmed view that PML-N would not be in a position to cause any embarrassment either to the Speaker Dr Mirza or to the treasury even during the forthcoming budget session scheduled to begin from June 1.
“It is right of the opposition to criticise the government within the set parliamentary norms. Otherwise they would face strong reaction from the treasury benches in case they tried to upset parliamentary proceedings”, a senior PPP parliamentary leader maintained.
According to him position of the PML-N would be undermined which it cannot afford in the given situation.
However, sources in the PML-N were upbeat that party leadership would decide a comprehensive strategy for in and outside the Parliament to expose the illegal and unconstitutional actions of the ruling alliance.