Cracks within Pakistan’s Ruling PDM as Coalition Disagrees with PPP, Bilawal over Talks with PTI

The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition composed of three major parties – Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-(N)), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) – have developed a split over the issue of dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Pakistan foreign minister and PTI leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said his party is against closing the door for talks but JUI-(F) rejected Bilawal’s opinion and said that it isn’t in the coalition’s interests to hold talks with the PTI chief and former prime minister Imran Khan who was ousted last year through a vote of no-confidence.

“It is the need of the hour that the path of dialogue be adopted and the country taken out of the crisis,” Bilawal said.

The meeting of the three major parties and the other member-parties of the coalition on Tuesday ended without a consensus. The PDM coalition consists of 13 parties and representatives of all of these parties met in Islamabad after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting to discuss the political situation.

Last week, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq launched a ‘consensus offensive’ and met with former prime minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the political situation in the country.

It was decided after the meeting that the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) may hold indirect dialogue moderated by the JI.

Some parties also pointed out that Imran Khan cannot be trusted despite some sections of the coalition, including Bilawal’s PPP, insisting that political forces should not shut channels for dialogue.

Interior minister Rana Sanaullah tried to put up a strong face in front of the media and blamed Imran Khan for causing the stalemate in the dialogue process and said that the former prime minister rejected their offer for dialogue in the past.

“Parties may have different opinions, but our decisions are made with consensus,” information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said.

A representative from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-(P)) said the matter of inter-party dialogue must be handled delicately and the decision should be taken by the party chiefs of the coalition parties.

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