PDM says long march will continue till departure of govt

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to continue next month's long march till departure of the PTI government.

The PDM Convenor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday chaired steering committee meeting to discuss arrangements for the long march. The PDM spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain told media after the meeting that a five-member committee was also constituted to make arrangements for long march starting on March 26. The committee would comprise Ahsan Iqbal, Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Mir Labret Shahi, Akram Khan Durrani and Mian Iftikhar Hussain.

The PDM spokesman said the meeting also discussed duration of the long march and it was decided that it would be named Qaumi March and Mehngai March which would start from across the country, and would continue till sending the government packing.

The PDM leadership led by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will also undertake countrywide visits prior to the long march, while contacts would also be made with labour and workers unions. The meeting also observed that the stance of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was correct that a constitutional amendment was required to change process of voting in the Senate elections.

Mian Iftikhar said the PDM leaders would also join protest of relatives of missing persons in Islamabad today (Friday).

“The protestors are making only one demand that Prime Minister Imran Khan should meet them," he said, questioning if the prime minister was under arrest that he could not visit sit-in of relatives of missing persons.