ISLAMABAD: Despite the fact that the fifth session of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) coordination committees failed to yield any significant progress, the former remains optimistic that they will reach an agreement on government formation issues during today’s meeting.
Speaking to Geo News, PPP Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi restated the party’s central executive committee’s determination not to serve in the federal cabinet in the future government.
“[Our] experience with the PML-N during the 16-month alliance was not pleasant,” Kundi added, emphasizing that there is no formula for either party’s candidates to retain the office of prime minister for three and two years, respectively.
However, he emphasized that the party retains the ability to run for other constitutional positions.
The bilateral talks between the PPP and the PML-N, which began after neither party received a simple majority in the February 8 polls, have dragged on for days, with the former reiterating its opposition to being included in the cabinet, The News reported on Tuesday.
The parties met for a three-hour session on Monday and were originally scheduled to meet for a second round later in the day, but this was eventually pushed back to Tuesday (today).
Though the draft of suggestions was completed a day earlier, both parties chose to discuss with their respective leadership before to today’s meeting.
However, the PPP’s committee did not attend the meeting, and it was eventually decided to conduct discussions on Tuesday.
According to sources, the Bilawal Bhutto-led party believed that when party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari promised that the PPP would back the PML-N in the prime minister’s election, the party would keep that promise even if it did not join the government.
