The Rahbar Committee said Wednesday that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman should be appointed the head of the opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, a private TV channel reported.
A meeting of the Rahbar Committee, comprising 11 opposition parties, was held during which majority of the attendees agreed on making Fazl the head of the PDM. Representatives of smaller political parties stated that only Fazl can lead the opposition effectively. The TV channel reported that participants of the meeting decided that the PDM will have a central and four provincial organisations. It was decided during the meeting that the opposition’s alliance will also have organisations at the local districts level. The names of the central and provincial organisations of the PDMA will be revealed in a few days by the opposition’s leadership.
Reports said that opposition parties have agreed on expanding the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and selected locations for holding public gatherings. These important announcements relating to the PDM’s movement against the government will be made in a few days by the opposition leadership. Following a multi-party-conference in Islamabad on Sunday, the opposition had shared the plan of action devised to “rid the country” of the government. JUI-F chief Fazl, addressing a media briefing, had said that the opposition demanded the “immediate resignation of selected Prime Minister Imran Ahmed Niazi”. He had said that a failure to do so will result in the joint opposition announcing country-wide protests that will include the participation of lawyers, traders, labourers, farmers, civil society, and the people in general. “In the first phase, beginning October, rallies will be held in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab. In the second phase, starting December, huge demonstrations will take place country-wide. In the third phase, to begin in January next year, a long-march will move towards Islamabad,” Fazl had said. “To oust the selected government, the joint opposition will use all tactics, including a vote of no confidence and resignations from the parliament.”
Meanwhile, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif had said that the opposition had no option but to arrive at these decisions as the incumbent government was “selected” and could not handle the country’s affairs, including the situation in Kashmir and the coronavirus crisis.
