159 Punjab Assembly MPAs have sent their resignations to me, says Maryam Nawaz

• PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz spoke to media before leaving for Sukkur
• She said 159 out of 160 Punjab Assembly members have submitted their resignations to her
• Earlier, JUI-F's Fazl and Maryam had turned down the proposal to hold a grand dialogue with the government

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Saturday that she received the resignations of 159 out of 160 members of the Punjab Assembly. 

Talking to media at Jati Umrah before leaving for Sukkur, Maryam said Benazir Bhutto Shaheed fought for democracy and gave her life for the country. 

"Nawaz Sharif and Bibi Shaheed signed the Charter of Democracy for the country. Bilawal and I will move forward with the Charter of Democracy," she said.

She said the party will decide when to submit the resignations to the National Assembly speaker.

Read about PDM's stance on having a dialogue with the PTI government

The PML-N vice-president will arrive in Sukkur via the Sukkur-Multan motorway along with other PML-N leaders. She will address a workers' convention in Sukkur at 6pm today (Saturday) and will hold meetings with party leaders in the city.

Her visit comes as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) prepares for phase two of its anti-government drive.

In her short speech before leaving, Maryam said there are some things in Pakistan on which the Opposition parties will stay united. 

"Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other parties are clear that there will be no talks with a fake government. We will not give an NRO to the government," Maryam reiterated, a day after tweeting that PDM will not enter into any kind of negotiations with the government amid calls for dialogue.

She said the PTI government is a product of rigging and it needs to be sent home. "Look at their performance," Maryam said.

On Bilawal not attending Mardan rally

Maryam spoke about the discussions held during a government meeting recently over the absence of a PDM leader from the rally, hinting at an internal rift in the alliance.

"When Bilawal did not come to Mardan, it was said that there was a rift in the PDM. To those who said this, I feel sorry for them," Maryam clarified.

On Durrani-Shehbaz meetup

Maryam was asked about the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional secretary-general Muhammad Ali Durrani's recent meeting with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in jail in which Durrani had proposed that a Track II dialogue was the need of the hour.

The PML-N leader responded by saying that when one is in jail, they do not know who is coming to meet them.

Read about Maryam Nawaz's trip to Sukkur

"You are suddenly told in jail when someone comes to meet you," she said.

She said Shehbaz is loyal to his brother Nawaz Sharif and is in jail with his son because of it. "If Shehbaz Sharif had not been loyal, he would have been the prime minister himself today," Maryam said.

"Even before Durrani met Shehbaz, we have been contacted by government ministers," she said, adding that it is clear that there will be no talks with this "fake" government. 

"It is strange that where family members are not being allowed to meet, how are others meeting?" she asked.

Fazl, Maryam reject talk of 'dialogue' between govt and Opposition

PDM is not ready to hold any "dialogue" with the ruling PTI government, PDM chief Fazlur Rahman and Maryam both had said Friday, throwing cold water on any possibility of reconciliation at the national level.

The statements from the key Opposition leaders came a day after Durrani met Shehbaz, where he proposed that a Track II dialogue was the need of the hour.

Read about the meeting between PML-F's Durrani and PML-N's Shehbaz

Fazl said all opposition parties are united and their demands are the prime minister’s resignation and free and fair elections.

The PDM chief further said the personal opinion of an opposition leader should not be construed as the PDM’s stance.

What happened in the Durrani-Shehbaz meeting?

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Durrani had said that once a series of resignations begins, the move will be detrimental for democracy and the country in general.

Durrani said that the country's current situation demands a "grand dialogue" and that supremacy of the Constitution is a fundamental need for Pakistan.

"Track II dialogue is the need of the hour," he said, adding: "These dialogues will not get exposed [to the public], but their results will."

He said that whether it is the government or the Opposition, "the wiser people" among both wish to continue talking to each other.

"Every thinking man knows that a conflict is not in the interest of Pakistan [...] we have not come here to antagonise anyone," Durrani said.

He went on to say that the party leadership wishes both the government and the Opposition will go to parliament and sort out their differences.

"In this conflict, not only will the loser have lost, but the winner too will gain nothing."

"We are fully prepared for Track II dialogue," he added.