In yet another demonstration of political might, the leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement — an 11-patry opposition alliance aiming to send Prime Minister Imran Khan's government packing — gathered in Malakand on Monday for the alliance's latest power show.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Amir and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other leaders arrived at Batkhela Tehsil of Malakand in separate convoys. However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz decided against participating in today’s rally.
لائیو: پاکستان ڈیموکریٹک موومنٹ کے تحت مالاکنڈ میں ہونے والی ریلی https://t.co/9YrGRwWY9v
— Pakistan Democratic Movement (@OfficialPDM) January 11, 2021
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Addressing the public gathering, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the ‘incompetent government’ snatched the rights of the people but “this sea of people would remove this government from power”.
He said that PDM's struggle is for reinstating people’s rights laid down in the Constitution. However, this government was bent upon tampering it, he added.
"Our struggle is against those who snatched the mandate of the people."
He said that there is no such thing as democracy left in the country, “in fact the government is conspiring against the Constitution and provinces”.
The PDM chief challenged the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to arrest him, asking that why the anti-graft watchdog was unable to see the corruption of the incumbent government.
He announced that PDM would stage a demonstration in front of Election Commission on January 19 and would also take out an anti-Israel rally in Karachi on January 21.
The PDM head said that the movement would continue and the entire nation would march on Islamabad and Rawalpindi. "Those who are offering us chai-pani (tea and water) should eat pizzas themselves," he said while referring to DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar's remarks in today's press briefing.
He said that the army is an institution and an integral part of the state but it must remain impartial. "The military leadership has to explain whether it is a party and if it is a party, then our protest is justified," he added.
The PDM chief said that there is no democracy in Pakistan today and "a martial was in place similar to that of General Zia and General Musharraf".
“Will bring true democracy in the country with the help of the nation against this ‘dictatorship’”.
He said that the foreign funding case is deliberately being delayed because the money sent to PTI was from India and Israel.
"The rulers of this current government have been funded by Israel, India and Ahmadis."
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that if there is no terrorism in the country then the army should be called back from the tribal areas. "They talk about making Gilgit-Baltistan a province but what about the tribal areas... why can't they have their own province," he questioned.
He claimed that the struggle against this government was jihad and for jihad they were ready to give sacrifices. "The jihad will continue until the rulers do not stop their oppression," he maintained.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while addressing the rally, said that the people of Malakand have given their decision against this ‘selected government’. "Consider today's rally a referendum," he added.
He said that the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have been suffering at the hands of these incompetent and fake rulers for seven years.
"These people are hypocrites and liars. Whatever they promised they haven't deliver," he said and added that PPP delivers whatever it promises as former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto fulfilled his promise by abolishing Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).
The PPP chief said that the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa struggled along with his party and snatched their rights from dictators. "I promise you that we will also get rid of the rule of this puppet government and reinstate true democracy [in the country]," he added.
Bilawal said that the people of Malakand neither budged against the terrorist nor would they bow before dictators.
He said that the PPP government conducted operation against the terrorists but "coward" Imran Khan became a lawyer for them. "When our children [in APS] were being slaughtered, Imran Khan was dancing in Islamabad," he added.
The PPP chairman said that when the families of the victims of Machh tragedy were protesting, the prime minister called them ‘blackmailers’. "What kind of a justice is this? Instead of trying to heal their wounds and visit them [in Quetta], the prime minister asks them to come to him," he added.
Bilawal said that Imran Khan has proved that “blood is cheaper in Naya Pakistan than life”, adding that they will provide justice to people.
He said that the economy of Pakistan has been destroyed by the policies of this government. "Even Afghanistan and Bangladesh are growing at a more rapid rate than Pakistan," he claimed.
Bilawal said that that PTI government promised to give 10 million jobs and five million houses but since it has come to power, it has been destroying houses in the name of encroachment.
Corruption would only be eliminated when rules are same for everyone including politicians, judges and army generals, he added.
He said that the PPP government gave provinces their rights under the 18th Amendment. However, he added, the incumbent government is trying to tamper with the unanimous Constitution of the country.
The PPP chief said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was former president Asif Ali Zardari's brainchild. "CPEC's original route was through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but this incompetent government snatched the rights of the people of this province," he said and added that Rs107 billion were not given to K-P.
He said that people must support PDM for the betterment of Pakistan and only people would decide who will be the next prime minister of this country.
Amir Muqam
PML-N leader Amir Maqam said that Imran Khan’s status in this government is not more than a mere ‘puppet’.
"We are protesting because this government doesn't know how to rule," he added.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai
Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, while addressing the tally, said that the PDM does not want any clash with state institutions because it is not in the interest of the country. However, only politicians are held accountable in Pakistan, he added.
“Pakistan Army is our force as well but few individuals are interfering in political affairs,” he said.
Achakzai said that the political forces in PDM are recording their protest in order to rectify the deteriorating situation in the country, adding that all political parties stand united when it comes to national issues.
چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا درگئی پھاٹک کے مقام پر ریلی کے شرکاء سے خطاب
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) January 11, 2021
"ہم اس سلیکٹڈ کو بھگا کر ایک ایسی حکومت بنائیں گے جو غریب مزدوروں اور کسانوں کا خیال رکھے گی۔"@BBhuttoZardari #PDMRallyMalakand pic.twitter.com/HgxB8VhsBS
On his way to Malakand, Bilawal invited the masses to join them in their struggle against the incumbent government. "On our way to Malakand for #PDMRallyMalakand. Join us to march against inflation, corruption and injustices of 7 years of incompetent, illegitimate and puppet rule of PTI, which has pushed KP & now all of Pakistan into crisis," he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
On our way to Malakand for #PDMRallyMalakand. Join us to march against inflation, corruption and injustices of 7 years of incompetent, illegitimate and puppet rule of PTI . which has pushed KP & now all of Pakistan into crisis.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) January 11, 2021
On Wednesday, during the alliance's another power show in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu, Maulana Fazlur Rehman stepped up his trenchant criticism against the government.
In his usual hard-hitting speech, Fazl slammed the establishment’s role in the country’s political matters and said that the people of Pakistan would “hold Prime Minister Imran Khan and his selectors responsible for destroying” the country.
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چئیرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کے بٹ خیلہ بازار، مالاکنڈ میں استقبال کے مناظر@BBhuttoZardari #PDMRallyMalakand pic.twitter.com/W25XysRYFx
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) January 11, 2021
Fazl told the public rally, which was held in connection with the second phase of the 11-party alliance’s anti-government campaign, that his party would stage a protest in Karachi on January 21 against what he claimed the PTI government’s bid to recognise Israel.
In continuation of a series of protest against the government to press for its demand for the resignation of the prime minister, the PDM has already announced plans for a protest in front of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on January 19.
مالاکنڈ: پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چئیرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری بٹ خیلہ میں اختتامی خطاب کے لئے ٹرک میں سوار ہوگئے
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) January 11, 2021
مالاکنڈ: چئیرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا بٹ خیلہ بازار پہنچنے پر تاریخی استقبال@BBhuttoZardari #PDMRallyMalakand pic.twitter.com/Qfpz69b0hc
On January 4, the PDM chief had declared the opposition parties’ struggle against the PTI government a jihad – a holy war – and claimed that now it will be a sin to turn one’s back on this sacred mission.
“What we are doing through the PDM is commonly referred to as a movement when in fact it is a jihad-e-sharee [jihad as warranted by the sharia]. Struggling against this [PTI] government is a jihad and turning one’s backs on it will be a sin,” the Maulana said while addressing a huge rally organised by the alliance in Bahawalpur district.
The JUI-F chief warned the military establishment that the PDM instead of marching to Islamabad could decide marching to Rawalpindi, where the headquarters of the Pakistan Army is located.
According to Fazl, the Pakistan Army should make it clear whether it backs Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government as he claims, so that the PDM may direct its movement towards the military establishment.
“This country is not a property of any dictator or any particular institution. It is also not under anyone’s occupation. This country belongs to its people,” he added.
He said the PDM consists of different parties with different points of views and different opinions and it is natural to have a difference of opinion regarding its roadmap. “However, we all are on the same page regarding the PTI led government and believe that it needs to go.”
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