ISLAMABAD – Senior Leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Awami National Party (ANP) met in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the situation in the aftermath of the general elections.
Major parties in the opposition decided to form a grand opposition for formulating a strategy on alleged rigging in the July 25 General Election.
Later addressing a news conference, veteran leader of PPP Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said today’s meeting decided that parliament is the best forum for the opposition and we will play the role of a strong opposition in and outside the parliament, a joint strategy will be devised for both the places, he added.
PML-N Senior leader Raja Zafar-ul-Haq said Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed in its responsibility to hold free and fair elections.
JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said with the exception of one party, all parties have agreed with the consensus that elections have been rigged.
The strength of the grand opposition will stand at 120 in the National Assembly, compared to 116 seats for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
According to sources, political parties in Balochistan will also be taken into confidence over the grand opposition alliance. Meanwhile, Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced that the MMA will not boycott proceedings of the parliament.
The PPP delegation was led by Khursheed Shah includes Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Qamar Zaman Kaira, and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif led his party’s delegation which includes Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Asif among others.
Haji Ghulam Bilour and Mian Iftikhar are representing the ANP, while Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Anas Noorani were representing the MMA.
It is expected that following the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif will meet his brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was shifted from Adiala prison to PIMS hospital in Islamabad on Sunday.
