Daily Times

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Monday decided to hold an anti-inflation march in the federal capital on March 23 in the wake of government’s failures on several fronts.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after a meeting of the party chiefs, PDM chief and JUI-F Amir Fazlur Rehman said a huge protest will be held in Islamabad against inflation and people from all over the country will attend it. Fazl said the provincial chapters of the Movement will hold meetings to prepare for the march, says a news report.

In Punjab, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif will call a meeting, Fazl will hold a meeting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) President Mahmood Khan Achakzai in Balochistan, while JUI-P President Shah Owais Noorani will hold a meeting in Sindh.

“A seminar will also be held. But before that, I will meet the lawyers’ committee – Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council – and hold consultations,” he said.

Fazl said the seminar’s date will be finalised after consultations with lawyers, civil society, business, and other communities so that they could be taken into confidence on the alliance’s motives. Fazl said the alliance had a “unanimous policy” towards the resignations of lawmakers from assemblies, but the PDM would decide when was the right time to use that card. Responding to a question about the date of the protest, he said: “We are also a part of the nation. The nation owns the state, and Islamabad is the place to resolve the commoners’ problems.” “First see what happens on March 23 and then wait and watch,” he said when asked whether the march would be held for a day or would it continue over a prolonged period.

To a reporter’s question on boycotting from the assemblies’ sessions and seeking PPP and ANP’s help, Fazl said matters which were highlighted in the media might not necessarily be discussed in PDM’s meetings.

The meeting condemned the Sialkot incident, noting that no card allowed anyone to resort to violence and take the law into their hands.

“Such incidents should be curbed, and it cannot be appreciated in any manner,” he added.

Reiterating that the 2018 general elections were rigged, Fazl said as a result of those polls, a government was formed without the “mandate of the people.” “A government which came into existence through rigging […] is facing failure, but the people are bearing the brunt of it in the form of inflation, poverty, unemployment, and restlessness,” he said. Asked about the duration of the protest, Fazl replied, “You heard about March 23 right now. Wait and see what happens next.”

In their last meeting on Nov 23, the PDM had failed to come up with a plan to launch its anti-government protest campaign, with the PDM chief declaring that they would meet on Dec 6 and devise “a final policy” and “announce very important decisions”. In the last meeting, Fazl was so furious with the PML-N leadership that at one stage, he reportedly even offered to quit the opposition alliance’s presidentship. However, at that time, Nawaz persuaded him not to do so and sought time till Dec 6 for in-house consultations.