By Abdullah Zahid.
LAHORE: The top brass of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are scheduled to meet today at Jati Umra in Lahore to finalise their future course of action of their anti-government campaign.
The 11-party opposition alliance’s meeting will be hosted by PML-N Vice President Mohtarma Maryam Nawaz Sharif at her Jati Umra residence and chaired by Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
The PDM leadership will deliberate upon the en masse resignations from the assemblies and contesting the Senate elections and by-polls. The meeting has assumed significance after the PPP, a main Opposition party, decided to take part in the election process.
PDM president and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz, after their late-night meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, had announced that they wanted to provide an opportunity to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to present his viewpoint on the issues of resignations and participation in the coming elections after which they would try to develop a consensus.
PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is already in Lahore, while PPP leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will attend the meeting through a video link. However, a party delegation comprising former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Farhatullah Babar will attend the PDM’s meeting at Raiwind.
Jamiat Ulema Pakistan head Shah Owais Noorani will lead a delegation of his party. The Qaumi Watan Party will be represented by Aftab Ahmed Sherpao and Hashim Babar.
