Fawad questions PDM's 'ill-timed' protest, asks whom will it benefit

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry questioned on Sunday the timing of the rallies announced by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), saying whom will it benefit when the economy was on an upward trajectory.

A day before, on Saturday, the PDM announced restarting a campaign against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan with a fresh round of rallies-cum-mass-contact drive from July 4.

"[Pakistan] had to face economic hardship as a results of how the Pakistan People's Party and Muslim League-Nawaz dealt with the economy," Fawad said in a series of tweets today.

"Now, after a long wait, there have been positive results of economic policies. Tax amounting to more than 4,000 billion was collected for the first time in the country's history," he maintained.

He further stated that the overseas Pakistanis put their share in helping the country stand on its feet and sent 1,000 billion rupees home.

Read Fawad responds to PDM presser

"There was a record production of wheat, rice, sugarcane and corn, while 1,100 billion rupees were moved to the agricultural economy."

This, he added, resulted in strengthening the buying power of the farmers as tractor sale was up by 64 per cent, and there was an increase in the use of fertilizers and agricultural medicines.

The minister went on to say that the stock market made a record on May 27 with the buying and selling of 2.21 billion shares.

"At the moment, Pakistan's [stock] market is the world's best market."

"The question is, at a time when the economy is on an upward trajectory and the condition of the common man is changing, why is the opposition making a call for protest."

PDM's presser

PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman told a news conference after a summit meeting of the opposition alliance that Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif would contact other parties for a joint stance in the National Assembly on the budget.

Read more PDM decides today if PPP, ANP can return

Fazl, who is also the chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), unveiled the plan for a series of public rallies from July 4 in Swat to the Independence Day on August 14 in the federal capital.

“The PDM has unanimously decided to start holding massive power shows and mass contact drive in the country, with the first such show planned for July 4 in Swat,” Fazl, flanked by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, told reporters.

“The second power show will be held on July 29 in Karachi, while the third show has been planned in in Islamabad on August 14,” he said, adding that on August 14, “we will deliberate on issues” of the country, Kashmir and Al Aqsa Mosque.

He revealed that the alliance had authorised Shehbaz, in his capacity as the opposition leader in the National Assembly, to host a meeting of all parliamentary parties in the opposition to create consensus among them on the issue of the federal budget.