PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said her party president Shehbaz Sharif’s dinner had nothing to do with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Shehbaz held a dinner on Monday for Opposition leaders, including those from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP).
“He hosted the dinner as the leader of Opposition, as they had to devise a strategy for the budget session,” said Maryam. “Shehbaz Sharif is the Opposition leader [in National Assembly]. He hosted the dinner for parliamentarians. My presence was not needed,” she said when asked about her absence from the dinner.
Maryam said PDM had not received any response from the PPP regarding the party’s return to the alliance. She said that when the PPP addresses PDM’s concerns, the alliance will deliberate over the matter.
Meanwhile, PDM Secretary-General Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stated that there was no place for the PPP within the opposition alliance until it restored the trust it had broken.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the PML-N leader said that the opposition alliance was formed for a particular purpose. “If you are not committed to the movement, then there is no place for you within the PDM.”
“The PPP can’t just rejoin the movement. They can only do so once they restore their trust in the PDM. The alliance does not have a revolving-door policy that you break its trust, leave the movement and try to come back again when you face difficulties,” added Khaqan.
“The door is closed. The door will only open when you rebuild trust,” he said.
Maryam Nawaz’s media talk
