One Senate seat has shown who is pulling strings: PDM leaders

Islamabad: The Pakistan Democratic Movement leaders have criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party for the way they conducted the confidence vote in the National Assembly on Saturday.
They asked the premier to condemn the attack on the PML-N members outside Parliament. Marriyum Aurangzeb was attacked by a group of men, while someone hurled a shoe at Ahsan Iqbal.
Yousaf Raza Gillani, Maryam Nawaz, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari spoke to the media at Sindh House. Here is what they had to say.

PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz said that she wasn’t shocked by the results of PM Imran Khan’s confidence vote.
The result was not unexpected and they have shown what is happening in the country, she remarked. “There is no denying the fact that PTI is on its way out.” The party has suffered its political death and someone just needs to bury it now.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Yousaf Raza Gillani’s win has proven the prime minister has lost votes in the National Assembly.
Even the president has accepted that the PM has lost Parliament’s support. “You can’t call your supporters in the Parliament and say you have won.” The PM has lost the support of both the National Assembly and party members.

“Now the decisions of the country will be taken by the PDM,” the PPP scion said, pointing out that PDM will strategise to topple this “puppet” government.

“Every province is with PDM and not with Prime Minister Imran Khan and we condemn the fascist policies the PTI government has implemented,” Bilawal said, adding that all politicians should understand that the precedent of attacking women politicians is non-democratic, non-political, and is against Pakistan’s culture and traditions.

“I am shocked that the prime minister, who claims that he is the leader of the nation, didn’t condemn or even bring up this attack. This just shows that he has the same mentality as goons.” This only happens when you know you are about to be ousted.

“The prime minister should learn from Gillani, the way he gives respect to people,” Bilawal said. “Can the PM spend 13 years in jail without any conviction the way Asif Ali Zardari did?”

The 18th Amendment is the struggle of PPP. Zardari worked for this for years and passed it. “We have been in politics for years. We engage in politics for the nation, for the poorer segments of the society,” he remarked. “We will never take seats through backdoors. We have proven this by winning just one Senate seat.”

“We will take revenge on Imran Khan for the economic terrorism he started, Bilawal said. “I hope that if we continue this hard work and move forward by finding political solutions, we will succeed.” And this success will be of every Pakistani, he concluded.