ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) head and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Wednesday, while denouncing the government’s crackdown on banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has said that regardless of their demands, peaceful protest is the right of all citizens.
Addressing a press conference here, he said that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a 126-day protest camp in Islamabad, but now Prime Minister Imran Khan is not allowing others to do so.
He added that if protest against Nawaz Sharif was ‘constitutional right’ of the PTI, so same is the case with the bTLP protest against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said that the PTI had also supported TLP’s protest against former prime minister but when the group has started protesting against the PTI-led government for not fulfilling the agreement made with them, the government has launched crackdown on them.
Maulana Fazal said that according to reports, some 12 people have lost their lives in this protest including policemen, besides creating severe hurdles for the masses moving from one city to another along the Grand Trunk (GT) road.
He said that the PDM since the day one has not recognised Imran Khan-led government, and his party’s stance was clear to everybody, so there is no chance of accepting any law introduced by this illegal government, which is installed through vote-theft.
Talking about the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s recent decision to hold local bodies elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), he said that the PDM has rejected any such local bodies elections under Imran Khan’s party’s rule.
“We consider entire present setup “illegal”, so how can we accept any elections under the PTI government. The ECP must postpone the KPK local bodies’ elections. We have deliberated on this matter and nine out of 10 PDM parties have agreed to reject local bodies’ elections in the KPK under the present setup”.
Talking about Balochistan’s political situation, the Maulana said that opposition parties in Balochistan have not joined government benches but members of the ruling alliance have joined the opposition there.
The PDM is not going to form a government in collaboration with Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).
He added that if such a situation is erupting in the Centre that members of the ruling party are joining the ranks of the opposition parties, “PDM will consider all available options”, but our demand is loud and clear about holding fresh elections.
He lambasted Prime Minister Imran Khan for not giving the details of Toshakhana gifts, saying in the past Imran Khan kept on raising slogans against others but on his turn, he is not willing to share the details of the gifts he received during foreign visits.
He said that the ECP recently has said that it is going to start a verification process of the votes, so when the ECP itself has no confidence on the authenticity of votes, how it can hold local bodies elections in any federating unit.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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