Opposition vows to go ahead with Grand Alliance Conference

ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties on Tuesday vowed to go ahead with their two-day Grand Alliance Conference under any circumstances starting today (Wednesday) here.

In an emergency huddle at the residence of the head of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, senior opposition politicians reviewed the political situation and gave final touches to the arrangements of the proposed conference. It was declared that the conference would be held under any circumstances. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Salman Akram Raja, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Nasir Shirazi and other leaders participated in the meeting.

After the meeting, they addressed the media and claimed that whatever the panicked government would do, they would still hold the conference and emphasized that the ‘illegitimate government’ is afraid of the Constitution. The head of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, said that they were rebels against the forces that are running the country through corruption and violence. “We will hold these illegitimate rulers accountable in every street. We do not accept this illegitimate assembly,” he maintained while expressing a lack of trust in the legislature. Achakzai said that in the country, those violating the Constitution are not punished, ‘whether someone likes it or not, we have to break this tradition’. He insisted that the opposition Grand Alliance Conference will take place in any case.

Ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who is the convener of the Awam Pakistan Party said their goal is to establish the supremacy of the Constitution. “The government is not a representative of the people; this illegitimate government is afraid of the Constitution,” he contended. He explained that they are bringing the opposition parties together on a platform and in today’s (Wednesday) conference, issues related to the Constitution and economy will be discussed. He pointed out that political leaders and intellectuals from across the country will attend the conference. Abbasi claimed that the rulers were afraid of the people and said the Constitution offered a way out of the difficulties the nation was mired in.

The head of Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, said the country was built by our elders and now their children will protect the country.

“You cannot silence the voices of democracy and human rights. Come rain or storm, the national conference will be held,” he contended. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that we will raise our voice on human rights violations. “Whatever the cowardly and scared government does, we will definitely hold the conference,” he stressed.

The schedule of the conference has been released with a statement that says,

“The history of Pakistan is witness that the country has been suffering from severe crises over time. Initially, we tried to lay the foundation of a developing, prosperous and democratic state, but conspiracies, interference of undemocratic forces, weak political system, corruption and institutional conflicts have pushed the country into the quagmire of instability.

“Pakistan is currently going through its most critical period in history. The general elections of February 8, 2024, raised questions about the democratic process, trampled the mandate of the people and put democratic values on the backburner. This has put the country at a crossroads where it has become impossible to move forward, and every passing day is increasing disappointment and uncertainty among the people.

These elections have not only put the political process but also the future of Pakistan as a republic in question.”