PDM to create fresh charter

By news report

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Sunday decided to draft a charter and announce its future plan of action next week.

Addressing a news conference after chairing a PDM meeting here, Fazlur Rehman said the meeting expressed serious concern over delay in finalising inquiry report on the kidnapping of IG Police Sindh.

Former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accompanied him.

"It was announced that the report would be submitted within 10 days but now almost three weeks have passed,” said Fazl while announcing the PDM decisions.

He said the meeting while observing that the objective of the PDM was restoration of real democracy in true spirit of Constitution decided to announce the Movement's charter.

For this purpose, the heads of 11-party PDM would meet in Islamabad on November 14 to give final shape to recommendations of the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee will meet on November 13 where all the parties would bring forward their recommendations. "Through the parties' recommendations, a mutual agreement will be made," he said.

Fazl said the PDM meeting took a serious notice of continued detention of Geo-Jang Editor-in Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release.

He said the PDM leaders observed that arrest of Mir Shakil was part of actions to suppress the voice of the media. "We consider this action as illegitimate and action against the whole media," Fazl said while reading out the meeting's declaration.

To a question, he said there was no issue in the PDM on naming the institutions or their personalities. He said Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari participated in the meeting through the video link.

He said the meeting also expressed serious concerns over statement of the interior minister in which he said why ANP leaders were murdered besides using a threatening language against the PML-N leadership.

"This statement is confession as to who is the real terrorist and which forces have been targeting the political leadership," he said, adding now that it had been proven, there would no need for any investigation in future.

Fazl said they respected the institutions but if the names of president and prime minister could be mentioned, then why an individual of an institution could not be named.

“There is no crime in it,” he said. The meeting also expressed concerns over use of delaying tactics in taking the PTI foreign funding case to conclusion while political opponents were being booked in fake case.

"This shows that everything is fishy here," he said.

The meeting also observed that there was complete silence on corruption of Jahangir Tareen and others while every day cases were being registered against the opposition leaders, which was equal to encouraging corruption.

The meeting also observed that the observations of the Supreme Court in Justice Faiz ISA case were highly important. "This shows the behavior of the government, the prime minister, Prime Minister House and institutions which are having negative impacts on the constitutional institutions,” it said. The meeting also discussed Nawaz’s narrative. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inquired what other way did the PDM had than to approve of Nawaz’s narrative.

Raja Pervez Ashraf said if individuals were to be named in rallies, then it should be formally decided in a PDM meeting.

Ex-president Zardari said his party would stand by whatever decision was made by the PDM. Fazl urged the participants to rise above the narrative of their parties and adopt a mutual approach.