Nation fighting against an illegal, incompetent govt: Fazl

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Tuesday that the entire nation was fighting against an illegal and incompetent government, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s efforts to pass legislation will fail.

Talking to reporters in Quetta, he said that people were committing suicide due to rising inflation in the country. He claimed that the children were being sold because their parents could no longer provide for them.

He added that some institutions were also interfering in politics. "We are getting reports that the government's allies are being forced to support the PTI in the parliament," he said.

"We want these institutions' role to become neutral."

PDM fighting 'war' for country's survival, says Fazlur Rehman at Karachi rally

On Monday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that all concerns of the coalition partners of the ruling party had been addressed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that the joint session of the parliament was scheduled on Wednesday to pass the electoral reforms bill.

“The coalition parties have also expressed confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” Fawad told media after the premier's meeting with the PTI's coalition partners earlier.

Last week, the government put off a joint session of Parliament within 24 hours of its summoning due to a lack of required numbers of its lawmakers and reservations relayed by its own allies.

Allies' concerns addressed, parliament's joint session on Wednesday: Fawad

In yet another attempt to reach across the political aisle and persuade allies for the passage of the controversial Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021, the beleaguered ruling party is asking its lawmakers in both houses to gear up for the upcoming session.

According to sources, the government is now holding talks with its allies as well to back its electoral reforms. They said that the government’s ally, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), has given green signal to support the government on the legislation for electoral reforms in joint-sitting of the Parliament.

Earlier, PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the opposition alliance was fighting a war for the country's survival and represented the nation's hope and voice.

"We have to support the nation in this crisis," the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief said while addressing a PDM rally in Karachi, the first in a series of country-wide protests announced by the opposition alliance. PDM has planned a rally in Quetta on November 17, Peshawar on November 20 before it moves on to Lahore and Islamabad.

Have foiled govt conspiracies owing to opposition unity in Parliament: PDM chief

The PDM chief warned that the country was heading towards isolation and the political leadership should play its role to avert the crisis.

He criticised the government for rising inflation in the country, which he claimed had led to children being sold because of parents' inability to provide for them.

"Nations are strengthened ... when their economies are stable and the people are prosperous but look at where this country is being taken," he said. "We are spending day and night by begging."

The JUI-F chief also said that the country's institutions should "repent on past mistakes and ask the nation for forgiveness".

"We also want to say to the institutions that they should understand the realities and reassess their role," he said.