ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of major opposition parties, has announced to hold a long march against the PTI government on March 26.
Flanked by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the decision after more than three hours long meeting with members of opposition parties.
He said that people from across the country would march on Islamabad against the government.
Fazlur Rehman said that opposition will contest the Senate elections jointly to give the tough time to the government, adding that the proposed constitutional amendment about open balloting was not acceptable.
He claimed that the government was on heels for open balloting as its some lawmakers were not ready to vote the candidates picked by it for Senate.
The PDM also rejected commission formed by the government under the supervision of former Supreme Court judge Azmat Saeed Sheikh to probe the Broadsheet scandal.
On Sunday, the PPP chairperson called upon the joint opposition to “force the removal of puppets,” after the January 31 deadline set by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Prime Minister Imran Khan to quit passed. They have now signs of the government retreating.
“The selected PM has failed to resign by the deadline set by PDM,” Bilawal said in a series of tweets, adding that the opposition alliance had given “this illegitimate regime the opportunity to step aside respectfully and allow for a transition to democracy with free, fair and transparent elections”.
He said the Pakistani people faced historic poverty, unemployment and inflation because the incumbent government had been “forced on them”.
“The joint opposition must now force the removal of puppets,” he wrote, emphasising that the PPP believed in relying on democratic tactics and that sustained joint efforts inside and outside the parliament would “ultimately succeed” in sending the government home. Bilawal said the plan of staging a long-march against the government and moving a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran will “hopefully be discussed” in the next PDM meeting.
In a reference to the government’s plan of introducing a constitutional amendment for open ballot in the upcoming Senate polls, the PPP chairman said the government’s “desperation” was clear as it was “trying to change rules to rig Senate elections because they can see their defeat”.
“God-willing, Senate elections will show [that the] government is on shaky ground,” he added.
