PDM schedule for second phase of protest issued

ISLAMABAD: The steering committee of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday decided the schedule of protest in the second wave of agitation to oust the PTI government.

According to PDM spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the second phase of movement will start with a public meeting in Mardan tomorrow (December 23). It would be followed by another public meeting in Larkana on December 27 on the eve of death anniversary Benazir Bhutto.

The PDM steering committee decided to expand public meetings in smaller cities also. The protest events will take place in Bahawalpur on December 30, Malakand January 03, Bannu January 06, Khuzdar January 09, Loralai January 13, Tharparkar January 16, Faisalabad January 18, Sargodha January 23 and Sialkot January 27.

Mian Iftikhar said that a meeting of PDM heads would give final approval to the proposed protest programme. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is still in quandary whether to leave the field of Senate elections open for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). It was a big question mark before the alliance parties of the PDM as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) does not want to leave the field open for the ruling PTI and its allies to get maximum seats in the Upper House of the Parliament in the upcoming Senate elections.

It is expected that the issue of Senate election will come under discussion in the next meeting of heads of the PDM, which is scheduled to be held after December 27 or in early January. Besides discussing the PDM strategy for Senate election, the PDM, in its meeting, will also decide to take part in the bye-election which are being held in Sindh on three seats as the PPP is in favour of participating in it as it has already written letter to the Chief ElectionCommissioner for holding bye-elections.

According to notification, issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the bye-elections in Sindh and Balochistan will be held on February 16, while in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 19.

Though the PPP is following the PDM decision on resignation and long march, but wants that the strategy to use the resignation should be calculated and should give at a time when these are effective instead of making a decision in haste.

According to PPP insiders, the PPP will discuss all the options in the meeting of its Central Executive Committee, which is expected to be held within this week. The PPP has also a chance of becoming second largest party in the Senate elections in the Senate after the PTI and may be able to get the slot of the opposition leader in the Senate.

Seven senators of the PPP will be retiring in March from Sindh and PPP will try to get back same number of seats in the Senate from Sindh in the upcoming Senate election to take its strength to 19 senators.

Currently, the PPP has 21 senators in the Upper House of the Parliament and still second largest party after the PML-N. The PML-N will be main loser as its about 17-senators are retiring after completing their term in the Senate and it has a chance to get 5 to 6 seats only from Punjab with no chance from any other province and all of his senators will be from Punjab as it loses the representation from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while it does not have a representation from Sindh.