- Show-cause notices for PPP, ANP
In an unforeseen turn of events, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has joined hands with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) in Larkana to give the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) a tough time in its stronghold, a private media outlet has reported.
However, the media report isn’t entirely true as brother of the JUI-F chief, Senator Attaur Rehman, has rubbished the same in conversation with The Current.
Amid widening cracks between members of the anti-government alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the media report had claimed that JUI-F has forged with the PTI and GDA a new alliance named “Larkana Awami Ittihad”.
It had went on to add that the alliance includes PTI leaders Ammer Buz Bhutto and Allah Bux with GDA’s Moazzam Ali Khan Abbasi and Safdar Abbasi.
“The newly-formed alliance has also announced extending the scope of the campaign against PPP in the entire Larkana division,” the report had claimed further.
When approached for a comment, Senator Attaur Rehman rubbished all claims and maintained that his party had only supported PTI backed-GDA candidate Moazam Ali Abbasi in Larkana by-election back in 2019.
“Even though the JUI-F and PPP have no electoral agreement to support each other’s candidates, especially in Larkana, there is no truth to the claims,” he said and added the “ages-old” alliance was making headlines only due to a recent statement by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Last Friday, Bilawal had claimed that the JUI-F sided with the “establishment” and opposed the PPP in the said by-election. “But despite that we accepted Fazl as leader of the PDM,” he had said.
“If that is true, did we forge an alliance with the PPP in Karachi and Ghotki also on establishment’s orders?” Senator Attaur Rehman asked.
To a question, he categorically denied the existence of any alliance between the JUI-F and PTI. “Let sleeping dogs lie,” he said.
Trouble has been brewing among members of the anti-government alliance since after former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani’s nomination by the PPP for the slot of opposition leader in the Senate. His election as the leader of opposition in the upper house has also only worsened the deteriorating ties.
Many, including leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other PDM member parties, seem to believe the PPP has “backstabbed” the joint opposition.
The report by the private media outlet and its rebuttal come soon after it was revealed that the PDM has served show-cause notices to the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP).
While contents of the notices have not yet been disclosed, sources told The Current that they also pertain to Gilani’s election as Senate’s opposition leader despite the PDM’s reservations.
The ANP, also a member of the PDM, had voted for Gilani.
“They [notices] were handed to ANP’s Hidayatullah Khan and PPP’s Sherry Rehman,” sources said.
