Nadeem Afzal Chan, who had left the Pakistan Peoples Party ahead of the 2018 general elections and joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, on Sunday formally rejoined the PPP.
Chan, along with PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and other party leaders addressed a press conference at his residence in Lahore. He has been associated with the Sindh ruling party for nearly 22 years.
Bilawal termed the rejoining of Chan in the party "good news," saying that he appreciated the roles of "all workers who had been associated with the PPP [not only today but also] in the era of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto."
"I invite all the workers who have chanted slogans of the PPP and waved its flags to rejoin the party," he said, adding that Chan's reentry in the PPP affirmed that people of Pakistan had been "suffering" from difficulties and that it should be addressed.
The PPP chairperson said that all the opposition parties had the same agenda and that was a free and fair election, alleging that the PTI government was under intense pressure that has never been witnessed in the past. "No-confidence motion is a test for the government."
Reiterating the PPP's demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bilawal said the premier would have to resign before the no-confidence motion to be tabled in the National Assembly. "If he does not resign, we will go to Islamabad and bring the motion to de-seat the unconstitutional prime minister," he added.
The opposition was opting for a no-confidence motion in protest as a tool to shake the whole government and "we are going for it", he said. "It is worth taking the risk to challenge this government so that people of the country will come out of the crisis, that included the foreign policy of the country and other stuff that has made this country so much polarised that no discussions could be held," he added.
He also talked about the establishment's role in the politics of the country, saying that according to history the establishment had "never been neutral" in politics. "The real test [of the establishment] will be in the upcoming days and everyone will see that."
Responding to a question on not trusting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif and that the PML-N's narrative that Bilawal had been "selected" as the next premier, the PPP chairperson said that no efforts should be made to initiate a fight between the two opposition parties.
The PPP chairperson also noted that the party would not take any "extreme step" in case the no-confidence motion got failed against the PTI government. However, he added the party would continue struggling for democracy in the country.
When asked about the return of other PPP workers who had switched parties, Bilawal said he was inviting all the workers to rejoin the party. To this, someone mentioned the name of Babar Awan, who is an adviser to the PM on Parliamentary Affairs, and asked when he would join the party. Laughter cracked on this and Bilawal touched his ears from both hands.
