ISLAMABAD: Seeking the immediate resignation of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the major opposition parties of the country have formed a nationwide protest to remove his government. A 26-point resolution was accepted at the all-party conference on Sunday. The conference was attended by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F), and several other parties.
The conference was hosted by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). In a joint press conference after the all-party meeting, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman read the proposal and said that opposition parties have agreed to form an alliance under the name Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) so that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Countrywide protests can be started against the government of October.
Without naming the army in the proposal, it has been alleged that Khan’s government was given “fake stability by the same institution” that interfered in the elections to bring the current rulers to power. Apparently referring to the powerful army, the proposal said that the increasing interference of the institution in the internal affairs of the country is highly worrying and has been described as a threat to the stability and institutions of the country. According to the proposal, the performances will begin in phases. In the first phase, opposition parties will hold joint rallies in October in all four provinces. The second phase will begin in December, during which the opposition will hold large rallies across the country. After this, in January next year, a decisive big march will begin for Islamabad to remove the government.
The opposition also demanded that re-elections be held and conducted in a transparent manner and electoral reforms should be passed for free and fair elections. Describing Parliament as a “rubber stamp”, the PDM announced that the opposition would not cooperate with the government in the legislative process. Rahman said that the joint resolution rejected any attempt to bring the presidential system of government to the country and resolved to strengthen the parliamentary system.
Earlier, while addressing the conference via video link from London, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the opposition is not against Prime Minister Imran Khan, but against him who has brought “incompetent” person to power. . Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) chief Sharif (70) has been living in London since November last year. The Lahore High Court allowed him to go abroad for treatment for four weeks.
PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari had a phone conversation with Sharif on Friday and invited him to participate in the opposition-led all-party conference to be held online on Sunday. At the conference, Sharif criticized the country’s powerful army for allegedly supporting Khan. He said, “Our struggle is not against Imran Khan. Today, our struggle is against those who have seated Imran Khan and who influenced the (2018) election and brought down the country to bring in a disabled person like him. ”
The former Prime Minister said that the biggest priority should be to remove this “selected government and this system”. “If there are no changes, the country will suffer irreparable damage,” he said. He said that the army should stay away from politics and follow the vision of the Constitution and Father of the Nation Quaid Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and should not interfere in the people’s choice.
Sharif said, “We have made this country a joke in our eyes and also internationally.” Former President Asif Ali Zardari also addressed the conference via video link and criticized the government. He alleged that the government was using tricks to suppress the opposition.
