Protest demonstrations: PPP to follow PDM decisions, says Humayun

PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial president Humayun Khan said his party would follow decisions of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and stage protest demonstrations as per the announcement made by PDM’s president Maulana Fazlur Rahman at the Multan rally.

Talking to The News here, he recalled that at the Multan rally Maulana Fazlur Rahman had announced holding of protest demonstrations and all the component parties in the PDM were bound to follow the decision. “We will follow decisions taken at the PDM’s platform,” he said.

When asked the Awami National Party (ANP) held a protest against registration of cases against PDM leaders for the November 22 gathering in Peshawar, he said it was their own individual decision.

He recalled that the PPP had decided to hold its foundation day at PDM’s platform and talked to its leadership, who have agreed to the decision. He said his party also held separate meetings in Mansehra, Swat and other parts of the province. The JUI, he said, also held its meetings.

Humayun Khan condemned the government for using powers, arresting and registering cases against their workers and creating hurdles for the opposition, saying that it showed the government was afraid of PDM. It, he said, was astonishing to note that the government was allowing ministers to hold meetings and there was no fear of coronavirus but it was worried about Covid-19 spread when the opposition held public meetings. He said that what type of coronavirus was this that it only spread at the opposition’s meetings and gatherings and spared the government and Jamaat-e-Islami’s meetings.

The PPP president came down hard on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for its “double standards,” saying that it was not allowing the PDM to hold meetings but did not follow the same policy for Jamaat-e-Islami. “It means the government is not worried about the coronavirus rather it was afraid of the PDM,” he said.

“We condemn these contradictory policies of the PTI government, arrests of the opposition leaders and registration of cases against their workers and would resist dictatorial policies of the selected rulers,” he said, adding that the government had registered FIRs against 300 PDM workers.

Humayun Khan said the PTI government had made the lives of people miserable and it had deceived the nation through hollow slogans. “The PTI rulers did not honour the pledges made with the people,” he said, adding that the PDM would not allow the rulers to ruin the country.