LAHORE: The opposition Pakistan Peoples Party has called an extraordinary meeting of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) on the Afghanistan situation on Monday (tomorrow) to formulate the party’s point of view on it.

“The party has called an extraordinary CEC meeting on the Afghanistan situation on Monday. It will be held through video link in which the participants will speak on the issue of Afghanistan to evolve the party’s point of view and for providing a guideline to the government on the subject,” PPP secretary general Farhatullah Babar told Dawn on Saturday.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and other senior party members will participate. Mr Babar said the situation in Afghanistan was “very critical” and the world’s eyes were on Pakistan and what position it adopted in this respect.

In a tweet, Senator Sherry Rehman urged the government to take the country’s political leadership into confidence on the matter.

Govt urged to take political leadership into confidence

Backchannel talks with PML-N

Some PPP leaders believe the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is “politically compelled” to engage with the PPP following the “setbacks” it had suffered after the latter had parted ways with the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

However, both Mr Babar and PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb denied that the PPP and the PML-N had had backchannel contacts.

Talking to Dawn, PPP leader Munawar Anjum said the PML-N would have realised that after the departure of the PPP, the PDM had been rendered ineffective and its main party, the PML-N, had suffered politically as a result.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2021