Opposition observes black day throughout country

LAHORE: The combined opposition parties on Thursday managed to put up a respectable show of power in all the provincial headquarters – Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta in connection with the so-called ‘black day’ against the alleged rigging in the last general election.

The Lahore show was staged outside the Punjab Assembly on Thursday night, where thousands of charged political workers gathered bringing sound, and lighting systems and chairs to the venue despite police crackdown at their homes and barricades around The Mall and impounding of vehicles

The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif reached the venue after 10pm along with other opposition leaders including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Punjab leader Maulana Amjad Khan and others. Addressing the charged and slogan cheering workers, Shahbaz asked the people to throw Imran Khan into the sea as he has snatched the bread from the poor masses, imposed cruel taxes, left the country at the mercy of IMF, and rendered thousands of people jobless. He claimed that if Pakistan is to be saved from further destruction, Imran Khan must be eliminated politically.

He alleged that Imran Khan is using the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for

victimising the political opponents. Rejecting prime minister’s accusation that the opposition wanted NRO (a deal), he said Imran Khan gave an NRO only to his sister Aleema Khan by absolving her of all cases of money laundering and assets beyond means. He claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan was the biggest liar, ‘selected’, impostor, an agent of foreign powers, and responsible for economic murder of masses by imposing cruel IMF taxes and duties. Shahbaz alleged that the Imran Khan's government was installed through massively rigged election last year. He said Nawaz Sharif, Khwaja brothers, Hamza and Rana Sanaullah were in jails because they served the people. About corruption charges levelled by PM Imran Khan against the opposition leadership, Shahbaz said more than half of the federal cabinet members are corrupt.

The PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said the huge participation of masses in the ‘black day’ rallies despite tough restrictions, media blackout and police crackdown proved that the people of Pakistan had rejected Imran Khan. He said the message of masses to Imran Khan was clear; “Now either you will survive or we”. Kaira said PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto offered cooperation to the PTI government for eliminating terrorism, poverty and injustice, but Imran knows nothing except hurling abuses at the political opponents.

The JUI-F leader Maulana Amjad Khan said the opposition leaders have given a clear message to Imran Khan that the people of Pakistan could not allow Qadiyanis and imposition of the US agenda on the country. He warned that not a single article of constitution would be allowed to be changed. Though party flags of all opposition parties including the PPP, JUI-F, ANP and Jamiat Ahle Hadith were visible at the venue, the PML-N flags dominated the rally. The venue echoed with slogans of ‘Go Niazi Go’, ‘Vote Ko Izzat Do’, ‘Vote Chor’ and ‘Sher Aya’. It was unusual that Shahbaz Sharif addressed the rally first and then left the venue, letting the PML-N workers to start leaving the venue.

In Karachi, the Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari urged the opposition parties to wage a joint struggle against the 'selected regime' in the country that is bent upon usurping economic and human rights of people while causing them serious hardships.

While addressing a rally here at the Bagh-e-Jinnah jointly organised by the opposition political parties on Thursday night, the PPP chairman stated the economic murder of farmers, labourers, traders, youth and elders is taking place due to ineligibility and lack of competence of the present prime minister. He said the people are suffering badly due to phenomenal price hike and inflation caused by the 'present selected regime'. He said the "puppet and selected regime", instead of safeguarding the rights of masses, “is dancing to the signals of the umpire”. Similarly, he said the provinces are suffering as the federal government is not transferring their due fiscal share from the federal divisible pool. The PPP chairman said the incumbent PM has no understanding of the country’s history, geography, literature, politics, democracy, parliament, morality, and ethics. He alleged that one year ago massive rigging took place in the general elections to secure favourable results.

Bilawal claimed that during the 2018 general elections, the Result Transmission System crashed as part of the plan, security personnel were deployed inside the polling stations, polling agents were expelled from the polling stations before completion of the vote count, the Forms-45 vanished, recounting of votes was stopped in constituencies where the present rulers were facing defeat, the election results of some of the constituencies were withheld, while the electoral mandate of Karachi was stolen like in the past to rig the last year’s polls. Bilawal claimed that despite rigging the last year’s general elections, the electoral results could not be manipulated and changed to the 'desired level' and later the independently elected lawmakers were airlifted in large number on the plane of Jahangir Tareen to Banigala to form the government. He said the incumbent prime minister, in order to form his government, embraced such coalition partners whom he used to dub as thieves and murderers. The PPP chairman said he would never recognise the present regime as a genuinely and democratically-elected government of the country. He said the prime minister could not be considered as the elected ruler of the country as he has no regard for prestige of the country at the global forums and lacks the authority to prepare the budget of his own government.

He expressed gratitude to the masses for gathering on the appeal of the opposition political parties in the country to observe the black day. He recalled that all the major political parties had collectively drafted the Constitution of 1973. He said that two major parties of the country PPP and PML-N had signed the Charter of Democracy and under that spirit, the 18th Constitutional Amendment was passed to restore the Constitution of 1973 in its true form and shape. Bilawal said no single party of the country can rid the country of its preset problems and so the opposition parties are uniting to wage a uniform struggle for the purpose. He said that in the present day, the democratic order, parliament, politics, politicians, media, journalists, traders, labourers, and farmers, human rights in the country all were being attacked.

Earlier, addressing a rally of thousands in Quetta, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz asked people: "if … we have to march to Islamabad against this fake government, which stole votes to come into power, .....will Balochistan join us to give it its final shove, ?"

She said the PML-N is marking the black day because the “mandate of the people was stolen” on July 25 when PTI was “voted” into power. She asked the people of Balochistan to support other provinces in removing the incumbent government. She also claimed that whichever city she holds a public gathering in, “6,000-7,000 people are arrested” there and TV channels are warned against broadcasting her speeches. The PML-N leader also came down hard on the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), saying it was imposed upon the people of Balochistan after “snatching” their right to elect their representatives. She said “true representatives” were coerced to switch loyalties and “fake cases” were instituted against those who refused to comply.

Lauding her father’s past efforts to “honour the vote”, she said Nawaz Sharif could have formed a PML-N government after the 2013 general elections if he had so desired, “but he honoured the vote of Balochistan’s people and made Dr Abdul Malik Baloch the chief minister of Balochistan”. Maryam alleged that the premier “sat silently” when US President Donald Trump stated that the former Pakistani governments had not cooperated with the US. She reiterated her demand to declare Nawaz Sharif’s conviction null and void as the “judge has confessed that he convicted him on false charges”. Besides Maryam, PkMAP chief Mahmood Achakzai and NP leader Abdul Malik also spoke on the occasion. Security was been beefed up around the stadium.

In Peshawarthe joint opposition managed an impressive show of power to mark July 25 as ‘black day’.

Attended by a huge number of people affiliated with different political parties, the rally was addressed by central chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl , Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Awami National Party Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz central leader Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan People’s Party leader Nayyer Bukhari, Qaumi Watan Party head Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, opposition leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Akram Khan Durrani and others. Long vehicular processions with flags of different political parties approached the Motorway Park on the Ring Road where they joined the public gathering.

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said the ‘selected’ prime minister has now become the ‘rejected’ one. He said no one was ready to accept the government as a legitimate one. Amid slogans against the government, the Maulana declared that they would court mass arrest and fill the prisons across the country. He said they would protect the country against the ‘selected’ rulers and win the real freedom for the nation.

Asfandyar Wali Khan asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring his children to Pakistan to prove his loyalty to the country. He said that he had been accused of making assets abroad. “Now the accusers are in power. I challenge them to prove their accusations,” he added. The ANP chief said that a puppet had been imposed on the 220 million Pakistanis through a rigged election. He said the only change the PTI government had introduced was inflation and uncertainty. He said the government policies are pushing the country towards bankruptcy.

Asfandyar said the opposition had launched the protest campaign to protect the masses’ rights. He demanded to hold a free and fair election in the country. The ANP chief said today’s rally was the first step towards removing the government. He said a strange system of accountability has been introduced in the country. The families of the two previous prime ministers were being hunted in the name of accountability but Imran Khan’s sister was amassing wealth without being asked about her sources of income, he added.

Nayyer Bukhari said Prime Minister Imran Khan and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani would be removed soon and the joint opposition would celebrate ‘Yaum-e-Nijat’. In his speech on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal said he had brought greetings from his leader and thrice elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif from the Kot Lakhpat Prison to his proud Pashtun brothers and sisters. The PML leader said the economy is sinking due to the flawed policies of the incompetent rulers and industries are being closed, resulting in further unemployment. Ahsan Iqbal said that prices had gone out of control during the ‘selected government’.

Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said the mammoth joint gathering is a demonstration of unity and solidarity among the opposition parties, which were determined to rid the nation of the “selected” government which has badly failed to deliver on all fronts. The QWP chief said every individual and community was affected by the directionless policies of the rulers and the recent complete shutdown across the country by the traders and businessmen is a proof of the fact that they are fed up with the cruel policies, excessive taxation and spiralling prices.

Akram Khan Durrani condemned the government for media curbs and putting hurdles in the way of opposition, especially Maryam Nawaz Sharif to stop them from holding protest demonstrations.