LAHORE:
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) remains unconvinced that its meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at Governor House on Saturday (today) will yield any meaningful outcome, a senior party leader revealed.
The meeting, being held to address PPP’s concerns over being denied political space in Punjab, is unlikely to yield any significant results, the party insider claimed.
“It is in PML-N’s genes to treat its benefactors with the utmost contempt,” he bemoaned, expressing deep-rooted scepticism within PPP ranks regarding any tangible progress.
He further said that the real battleground for PPP at this juncture is not Punjab but the contentious canal issue, which President Asif Ali Zardari has already raised serious concerns about in a joint parliamentary session.
He said that the PPP was well aware that it was up against the powerful forces but added that the party viewed this as a battle for its political survival and was prepared to go all the way.
The PPP delegation for the meeting will be led by former prime minister and Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf, and was expected to include Ali Haider Gillani, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, the leader said.
Before the meeting, PPP will hold an internal discussion at 1:30 pm, followed by an informal huddle to finalise its talking points before engaging with PML-N at 4:00 pm.
According to the PPP insider, the party will present its bottom-line demand in hopes of securing some form of concession to use as a face-saving measure.
“Even if PML-N eventually reneges on its commitments in Punjab, it won’t cost PPP anything. In fact, it will only strengthen our argument that we acted with altruistic intentions,” he asserted.
A PPP spokesperson confirmed the meeting but stated that the party had not been informed about the composition of the PML-N delegation. Meanwhile, PML-N could not be reached for comment.
It is pertinent to note that the upcoming meeting follows an earlier attempt to placate PPP’s concerns, which began with a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad.
