PESHAWAR: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) head Maulana Fazlur Rahman has announced that the opposition parties would launch a long march towards the federal capital on March 23 to rid the nation of the “incapable and illegitimate” government. The PDM had announced to launch a long march “Mehengai March” towards Islamabad on March 23, 2022.
For this purpose, the provincial leaderships of the PDM component parties had been tasked with holding meetings at the provincial level.
He added that in Punjab, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Shehbaz Sharif had been assigned to hold a meeting and finalise preparation for the long march.
The Maulana said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa he himself, in Sindh Shah Owais Noorani and in Balochistan Mehmud Khan Achakzai had been given the responsibility to hold similar meetings.
He said that Sunday’s meeting was a continuation of the same announcement that was attended by the provincial president of PMLN Amir Muqam, Sikandar Khan Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and others.
The Maulana said the participants of the meeting expressed the determination to participate actively in the long march. He said the PDM would mobilize the nation to stand up against the “illegitimate and incapable” rulers.
The PDM chief said that the price hike had made life miserable for common people and they were compelled to commit suicides.
“People are killing theirchildren inside the homes for they can’t see them starving. They are throwing their kids into the rivers and are committing suicide. Death has become cheaper in the country under the current regime and life has become difficult,” the Maulana remarked.
In such a situation coming out and launching a campaign against the incapable rulers had become a national obligation, he maintained. He added the ruling party suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent local government election while the opposition parties emerged victorious.
The PDM chief said the people had given their opinion by voting against the ruling party that they were no longer willing to tolerate the rulers. “The next round of the local government elections would be more humiliating for the rulers and the opposition parties would gain more victories,” he added.
Regarding the proposed amendments to the rules of business for the local government system, the Maulana said that no such changes would be tolerated to the system. He said that the rulers had expressed the intentions long before the polls by undoing the district tier of the local government so that the deputy commissioner and district police officer could not be made subservient to the system.
“Now they are planning to give more powers to the assistant commissioners, which would never be allowed,” he vowed. The Maulana came down hard on the government for presenting the mini-budget in the National Assembly in violation of all the rules. He feared the mini-budget would bring a further tsunami of price hikes in the country.
He said that as per rules, such bills should be presented in the standing committee for thorough discussion over them. This mini-budget was neither presented before the standing committee nor any discussion was held over it in the National Assembly, he said.
The government, he added, was planning to give the State Bank of Pakistan under the direct supervision of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would be tantamount to mortgaging the sovereignty of the country.
To a question about Pakistan People’s Party and Awami National Party’s role in the opposition, he said that they were not part of the PDM but they were part of the opposition in the National Assembly.
He said that their goal was the same and they were making joint efforts towards the united goal. About the army's role in the election, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that they were not happy with the military’s intervention in the general election.
“In the local government elections, the military remained neutral, which we appreciated and you saw the results. When certain forces remain neutral, such kinds of results are seen,” he remarked.
Responding to a question about the reported return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the country, the Maulana said: “It is his country. We would welcome him if he returned to his own country.” About Afghanistan, he said that they wanted peace in Afghanistan. “We want a complete end to the 40-year war in Afghanistan,” he added.
