Speaking to reporters at parliament, soon after Mir Zafarullah Jamali’s election as leader of the House, Faisal claimed that he still had contacts with Benazir Bhutto and, therefore, no body could dare to expel him from the party. “I still consider myself as a member of the PPP,” he emphasized, and admitted that he had received a letter from the PPP, but he had not read it yet.
In the meanwhile, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, president of the Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP), stated that if Faisal Saleh Hayat still considered Benazir Bhutto as her party leader then why he was ashamed of expressing it.
Amin Fahim, however, conceded that the PPP had issued letters to members of the forward bloc asking them to vote for the party candidate in the election of leader of the House.
When asked about the status of the forward bloc, Amin Fahim said the PPP would decide on this issue later in a party meeting.
Faisal Saleh Hayat also blames the PPP leaders for destroying the party by keeping it hostage for their own interest and deplored that the second largest party had been reduced to a third largest party in parliament.
“They are talking about horse-trading and accusing us of switching loyalty, but is it not true that even the PML-N, their allies in the ARD, stabbed them today by supporting the MMA?”, he questioned, asking why they tried to win over the PML-Q, when they had made up their minds to sit in the opposition. They even tried to lure the Muttahida in Sindh, he alleged.
Faisal said they had nominated Amin Fahim as their parliamentary leader after a delay of 25 days when every other political party had nominated their leaders. Still the name of Amin Fahim had never been presented for the post of prime minister and on Wednesday his name was taken back when some other candidate filed paper for the premiership.
He also reminded that the PPP had 52 seats in Sindh and the session of the Sindh Assembly was due on Nov 25, but the PPP had yet to name its parliamentary leader.
“I am at a loss to understand to which direction the party is really heading,” he lamented.
“I am not a saleable commodity and no worldly power can purchase me. I have struggled from the tenure of Ziaul Haq to Nawaz Sharif, and there is no pressure on me,” he clarified.
When his opinion was sought on the Legal Framework Order, he said that at one hand the PPP was opposing it, but on the other following it in letter and spirit. He asked whether they had not participated in the local bodies elections and held party elections which were the requirements of the LFO.
He said that he was proud to have a role in the holding of the present session, otherwise the National Assembly would never have been called.
In reply to a question, Faisal said that he would have secured more votes had he been the candidate for the speakership, and said eight more votes had been lost in today’s vote count, in addition to the 10 votes of the forward block.
He categorically stated that his group had never been offered any ministerial posts, but said they would consider if they were offered to join the government.