Opposition parties form alliance to topple PTI govt

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Major opposition parties, at the All Parties Conference on Sunday, formed a political alliance — the Pakistan Democratic Movement — against the PTI government and demanded the Prime Minister’s “immediate resignation”, failing which they threatened to go for a protest movement to topple the “selected” government.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, announcing the decisions of the APC at a joint media briefing along with leaders of other opposition parties, said in the first phase of the action plan, rallies will be staged in all four provinces next month. In December, he added, the joint opposition will hold country-wide protests, and then in January, a long march towards Islamabad will be organised.

In the 26-point resolution agreed at the APC, Maulana Fazl said the opposition called for free and fair elections to be held, the control of price hikes. The opposition also demanded free and fair elections in Gilgit-Baltistan. They also vowed to protect the 1973 Constitution as well as provincial autonomy, and opposed any moves towards a presidential system.

The opposition also slammed the government’s “failure” on Kashmir which they maintained led to the disputed territory losing its special autonomy.

The APC denounced the suppression of the media and demanded the immediate release of Jang and Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and other journalists and media persons, and to end the fake cases against them. They also demanded an end to fake cases against political workers, and paid tribute to incarcerated leaders, PPP’s Khurshid Shah and PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz, who, Fazl said, were bearing the brunt of “political vendetta”.

The JUI-F chief also announced that the opposition would no longer cooperate with the “rubber stamp Parliament” and called for the repeal of “bulldozed” legislation. He said the opposition demands the stepping up of CPEC-related infrastructural projects, which he said the rulers have put in “danger”.

In another plan of action, a committee has been formed to deliberate upon the need to resign from the assemblies, if and when needed. They also expressed concern over, what they called, the failure to implement the National Action Plan and the deteriorating law and order situation. The opposition demanded the protection of people’s lives and livelihood. The opposition also called for a probe into allegations against CPEC Authority Chairman Asim Saleem Bajwa, in a manner that, what he described, was carried out against political figures.

The opposition also endorsed the September 17 Pakistan Bar Council’s APC, which demanded changes to the 19th Amendment regarding the appointment of judges.

The opposition also demanded a new accountability law, which takes into account concerns raised by the Islamic Ideological Council, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups.

Maulana Fazl also said the APC demands an end to the “missing persons situation” and called for those people to be brought to the courts.

Earlier, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif called for unity among opposition parties and urged they should be prepared to take unconventional and bold decisions to bring about change.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid, who has been in London since November last year, broke his silence after more than two years when he addressed the opposition moot via video link at the invitation of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Besides Sharif, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari also addressed the participants, where he vowed that the “selected” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will be sent packing and “restore democracy”, a PPP press release said.

Eleven opposition parties attended the conference, with representatives from host PPP, PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and others. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) sat this conference out. Amid rapidly unfolding developments, unity appeared to be a tall order after JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman complained of being “censored” by not just the government, but by hosts PPP as well, after his speech was reportedly not broadcast. In television footage, PPP’s Sherry Rehman and PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb could be seen speaking to Fazl, as Bilawal could be heard saying it was a JUI-F member who requested the chief’s speech be “in-camera”. Fazl insisted that was not the case.

After talks between Zardari and Sharif, it emerged that the opposition has decided to launch a nationwide protest movement in the first week of October if Prime Minister Imran Khan does not step down, Geo News reported citing sources.

However, Sharif earlier said the opposition’s struggle is not against Imran Khan, rather, it is against “those who brought Imran Khan into power—against those who stole the election and then installed this incapable person who destroyed the country”.

He said he believes this conference is a “turning point” for the country where “major and bold decisions” could be taken. Sharif added: “I am speaking from my experience of serving this country. The soul of democracy is when people are allowed to bring their opinions forward. According to the law our democratic system relies on the opinions and say of the people.”

“… When public votes are not respected and the verdict is decided even before the elections, we can imagine how the people of this country are deceived,” he added. “Unfortunately Pakistan has been the laboratory for such experiments.” The PML-N founder also said the “root cause” of Pakistan’s problems was a “state above the state”.

He also criticised the government for the inflation in the country and held the Prime Minister responsible for the increase of sugar prices “despite the mantras against corruption mafias and NROs”.

Sharif assured Bilawal that the PML-N “will fully support” the implementation of the strategy announced by the APC and will not budge over it “even for a second”.

Members of Imran Khan’s cabinet had plenty to say about the APC. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said there was nothing new in Sharif’s speech, who made similar speeches during the general election 2018 campaign.

“Nawaz Sharif should be asked about his narrative against national institutions,” Shibli said, and demanded institutions to take notice of his remarks. “It should be probed as to whose narrative he is following and working [for],” he added. He also said Sharif looked healthy and fine.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said the opposition meeting was nothing more than a gathering of “criminals and convicts” who deliberate on ways to “paralyse the law enforcing agencies or defuse the corruption cases against them”.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill termed the conference the “Pakistan Lootmar Association”.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the opposition parties “deceived themselves” by holding the conference. He said serving people “is true politics, which is the hallmark of the PTI government”.