PTI regime at ‘twilight of power’, says opposition in Quetta rally

Ag APP

QUETTA/ISLAMABAD: The opposition’ Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Sunday said the end of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) rule is nigh at their third mass contact campaign in Quetta, which government mouthpieces branded as part of an “axis of evil” which includes “India, Israel and the PDM”.

In its third show of force, major PDM leaders, movement president and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (who delivered a speech via video link from Gilgit-Baltistan) repeated their many rebukes of the federal government, which they called “puppet” and one that squandered the economy.

A large crowd of people had gathered to hear them speak. Maryam said it is time to “change the destiny of Pakistan” and the “sun is about to set on the current regime”. “The sun of people’s sovereignty is about to rise and the game of puppets is about to end,” she said.

She said Quaid-e-Azam had called for honouring the vote, but asked: “Has that been implemented in 72 years? Was the constitution respected? Were the policies made by public representatives and obeyed?”

Bilawal flayed the government over spiralling inflation and said Prime Minister Imran Khan “has ruined the country’s economy”. He said the prices of essential commodities “have gone beyond the reach of the poor”. “The poor masses are carrying the burden of an incompetent selected government,” he said.

Bilawal added those who are “dreaming of breaking the opposition alliance” will never succeed. “We are not among those who back down.”

Maulana Fazl, who spoke after Maryam and Bilawal, challenged those in power to not take their loyalty to the country lightly and that the opposition has regard for institutions. He criticised the PTI government for leaving the country in the “same condition that it left the Peshawar BRT”. The BRT has been beset by technical issues, and had just returned to roads on Saturday after a month only for another bus to fail in Hayatabad.

Reacting to the opposition movement, information minister Shibli Faraz held a press conference, where he accused the PDM of being the third part of an “axis of evil” which he said contains India and Israel and condemned opposition leaders for “hurling attacks on country’s integrity and institutions”. Faraz said opposition’s “political gimmicks” are aimed at saving its leadership from accountability. He said PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif has “no moral justification to question the government” and instead she and her father should answer how they made their assets abroad and how they “laundered the money”.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also alleged the PDM leaders’ “anti-state agenda” was making the country’s enemies happy.

The minister termed the PDM public meeting in Quetta a “flop show” and abortive exercise against the government, adding there is no threat to the democratic system and the PTI would complete its constitutional term.

Separately, Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said the PDM is “promoting the narrative of enemies of the country”, but they would not succeed in their “nefarious designs”.

He claimed “India and Israel are conspiring against Pakistan” since long but they would fail to achieve their objectives.