PDM will hear from Bilawal about PPP's stance on Jan 1: Maryam

The Pakistan Democratic Movement has said it will hear from PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari about the party's stance on various options in the ongoing anti-government campaign, when it gathers for a meeting scheduled in Raiwind on Friday.

In a late night press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz expressed their willingness to hear from the party chairman himself what PPP's stance is on matters such as participation in the Senate elections and resignations from assemblies.

Their remarks come in the backdrop of a PPP Central Executive Committee meeting held a day earlier following which speculation was rife that legal experts have advised party heads against untimely resignations from the national and provincial assemblies.

Read: PPP CEC debates potential drawbacks of early assembly resignations

Bilawal, in a media briefing following the meeting, put to rest such rumours, saying that although the CEC is in favour of challenging the PTI government at every forum, including Senate elections, nothing final has been announced.

The PPP chairman also said the party would collect all of its lawmakers' resignations by December 31 and will put all matters discussed in the CEC meeting before the PDM leadership in the meeting on January 1.

Maryam in the media briefing today, said that whatever Bilawal said in his briefing "were all good things".

"Bilawal said that [PPP] will put all matters before the PDM so a joint decision can be taken [...] so we will give him the chance to do that on the 1st and then we will make a joint decision," she said.

She added that PDM "will listen to all members with understanding and will move forward on matters together with mutual agreement".

"It is not appropriate to speculate on anything at this juncture," Maryam said.

Fazlur Rehman, speaking on the arrest of PML-N's parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif a day earlier, said that the move "is a continuation of the government's revenge politics".

Also read: Khawaja Asif arrested by NAB in assets beyond means case: PML-N

"They are using NAB as a tool and they have done such arrests in the past, made raids, and have humiliated politicians. And then media trials against people are done and entire careers are destroyed.

"We condemn this tradition. And we will discuss the practical steps that are to be taken in response," said the PDM chief, adding: "It cannot be that they continue to nab people with such ease and we remain quiet."