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Thursday March 28, 2024

PDM to kick off protest from 11th

By Muhammad Anis
September 30, 2020

PDM to kick off protest from 11th

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) announced on Tuesday that it will hold its first public rally on October 11 in Quetta to rid the country of the current “unconstitutional system”.

“On October 11, PDM will hold (its) first public rally and then the movement will spread all over Pakistan and rid Pakistan of this unconstitutional system,” former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced on behalf of the movement in a press conference.

Shahid Khaqan also announced that the PDM’s steering committee was also approved in the meeting of the opposition parties. He added that the organisational structure that was developed would now be sent to party leaders for approval.

As per new structure, the steering committee would be headed by a convener to be appointed on a rotation basis for a period of one month each. PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal has been named as the first convener. He also said that the organisational details will be shared with the people soon.

Abbasi said the opposition leaders meeting condemned the shrinking space for democracy. He said the meeting also condemned the “flood of inflation, rising unemployment and historic corruption” going on in the country. The PML-N leader also said that the rising issues frustrating the people were also deliberated in the meeting.

“All parties agreed on these decisions and you will see that this movement will bring about a real political transformation in the country,” Abbasi said. The meeting also strongly condemned the arrest of Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif, terming the action as opposition's victimisation.

The PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the opposition leaders took decision to start mass contact campaign, while considering it as their democratic right. “We cannot sit silent to plight of masses, government employees and pensioners who have been struggling to make both ends meet," he said.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri while taking notice of state of affairs of the government said that following three-month mass contact move, the opposition would continue struggle till ouster of the government.

"This is political war, not against any institution, but the government," he said. The JUI-F leader said the forces behind the incompetent government should also stop support of the regime.

Ahsan Iqbal said the government was taking the country towards social and economic anarchy. The PML-N leader regretted that the Parliament was being run with remote control. "We have never seen such treatment with the Parliament," he said. Ahsan Iqbal said they never allowed undermining of supremacy of the Parliament. He said the PDM is alliance of democratic forces which believes in supremacy of the Constitution.