Azadi March as per schedule

ISLAMABAD: The Rehbar Committee of the opposition parties on Monday decided to go ahead with ‘Azadi March’ starting on October 27 warning the government to refrain from creating hurdles in their protest plan.

Addressing a press conference after a crucial meeting of Rehbar Committee on Monday night, Convenor of the committee Muhammad Akram Khan Durrani maintained there would be ncompromise on ‘Azadi March. “We affirmed the commitment at the meeting that any resistance from the government will not be tolerated.”

Akram Durrani flanked by Ahsan Iqbal, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and other members of the committee also made it clear that negotiations with the government could be held on demands as put forward by the opposition parties.

“First, the government should accept our demands if it wants talks with the opposition parties,” he said. Durrani at the same time observed that the government was also not serious in holding talks with the opposition on its protest programme. “On one hand the government offers talks and on the other, the prime minister uses abusive language,” he said.

He said the opposition would never refuse contacts with the government but its demands were very much clear. “The talks will be held only when the government side gives a clear message and statement,” he said.

He also reiterated if the government wanted talks with the opposition, it should approach the Rehbar Committee, which is representative committee of nine opposition parties. “Let the opposition holds its Azadi March, afterwards we will hold talks with the government,” he said.

He pointed out that Azadi March was constitutional and democratic right of the opposition parties. “We assure that the Azadi Marchi will be peaceful but no hurdle in its way will be tolerated,” he said. It may be pointed out here that the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman has conditioned talks with the Government with Prime Minister’s resignations.