PPP yet to take a call on joining Pakistan government after recent offers

The Pakistan Peoples Party has not yet decided on whether to go ahead and join the Federal Cabinet or not, party insiders have revealed. They also maintain that there is a lot of pressure from both, within the party leadership and government allies to join the government.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who recently met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was offered and rather insisted upon to join the federal government formally, at the earliest.

Bilawal, who has in the past maintained a position consequent to the decision by his party’s Central Executive Committee(CEC) to not join the federal cabinet, had reportedly avoided an affirmative answer, a party leader on the condition of anonymity said. “Shehbaz Sharif is elder to Bilawal Bhutto, its not in our culture or tradition to misbehave with the elders the reason Mr Bilawal avoided a commitment or a comment when he was offered by the Prime Minister, what else would he had done, he couldn’t go on to fight”.

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The meeting was said to be held in a very positive and constructive environment where Bilawal was asked to join as the Foreign Minister. The Prime Minister insisted that PPP join the Federal Cabinet, preferably before the budget is presented, which is due to be laid before the parliament in the first week of June.

It is pertinent to mention that in the past, Bilawal Bhutto and his party have declined the offer to be the Prime Minister in the run-up to the government formation, following the February 8 General Elections in Pakistan.

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His party said that they took a principled position on the matter and that it would support the PMLN-led government on issue-to-issue basis.

Party leaders insisted that while there is no decision, the PPP chairman remains under immense pressure from the government and his own party leaders to review the party’s stance and rather join the government and that the decision of the party’s CEC should be reviewed by convening another CEC meet given the circumstances.

No meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party(PPP) has been called as yet.