Peshawar – Staff Reporter:
Awami National Party (ANP) has decided to part ways with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) following the issuance of a show-cause notice by the latter, announced the party’s senior vice president Ameer Haider Khan Hoti at a press conference on Tuesday.
“After receiving the show-cause notice, ANP’s political leadership has decided to part ways with the PDM,” Hoti stated.
The decision was taken after consultations with the federal and provincial leadership of the party, he added.
Following the issuance of the show-cause notice from the alliance, the party would have had to face disciplinary action had it not responded to the letter within the stipulated deadline.
Referring to the criticism, the source pointed out that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had also sought votes from the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in the Senate elections.
The decision, the source maintained, would further weaken the process of toppling the government and ousting Punjab government, Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker and the Senate opposition leader.
On Monday, the PDM served show-cause notices to two of its constituent parties – the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP) – for seeking the support of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) – a part of the ruling coalition – for securing the coveted position of Senate opposition leader for Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Yusuf Raza Gilani.
PDM Secretary-General Shahid Khaqan Abbasi confirmed the development after attending a meeting of the 27 senators from the PDM parties – including the PML-N and the JUI-F – that have refused to accept Gilani as the Leader of the Opposition in Senate.
“Through the show-cause notices, the PDM has sought clarification from both the parties about seeking votes from the BAP,” said Abbasi, who belongs to the PML-N.
The ties among component parties turned sour after the PPP appointed its stalwart Gilani as the Senate opposition leader, apparently in violation of what had earlier been agreed upon in a PDM meeting.
