PDM meets today to craft anti-govt strategy

Sharif asks people to hit street against inflation; leaders slam govt over price hike

LAHORE:

The opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) convened a summit level meeting on Saturday (today) to discuss strategy to cash in on the growing public sentiments against rising inflation, as former prime minister Nawaz Sharif asked the masses to take to the streets to protest against the price hike.

Sharif, the Quaid of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said that if the people came out against the government, they would find the PDM, party President Shehbaz Sharif and Vice President Maryam Nawaz by their side in this struggle.

The former prime minister asked the people to take to the streets against “the injustices meted out to them” in the form of inflation and price hike, “if they don’t want to perish under the burden of government’s incompetence”.

Answering a question from journalists in London, Nawaz said that the government was robbing people by raising fuel and electricity prices. Previously, it was claimed that Pakistan was at the brink of disaster, but now Pakistan had fallen into the abyss,” he said.

“The inflation in Pakistan is uncontrollable,” he said. “This government has made purchase of the very essential food items a hard task,” he added. “People should fight against these injustices and … save their future and the future of their future generations. They should stand up and fight.”

Meanwhile, talking to The Express Tribune, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) General Secretary Shah Awais Noorani said that the PDM, via a video link, on Saturday evening would discuss the situation, arising out of inflation and instability.

“Only the PDM leadership has been invited to the meeting,” he said. “The PDM leaders will discuss the strategy to get rid of this incompetent government.” Responding to a question, Noorani said that the time

for in-house strategies was over. “Now it’s time to act and deliver.”
As the PDM convenes an urgent meeting PML-N President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif was trying to come up with a joint strategy with all the parties on the opposition benches, for the upcoming joint parliamentary session.

Shehbaz on Friday telephoned Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other alliance leaders. They agreed that the people were unable to bear the burden of this inflation and wanted to get rid of this government.

They deliberated on ways to oppose the NAB Amendment Ordinance on every forum.
Reacting to the overnight increase of over Rs8 per litre in the price of petrol, Shehbaz said that this increase would fuel the cost of everything. He claimed that the government was planning further increase in the POL process through petroleum development levy on the “orders of the IMF”.

According to a statement issued by the PPP, Bilawal and Shahbaz discussed the political situation in the country, including public issues after the worst inflation. “Imran Khan hurts people by giving them a relief ‘lollypop’,” Bilawal said, using a euphemism for false promises

Meanwhile, other opposition leaders lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for increasing fuel prices, just two days after the prime minister had announced a Rs120 billion relief package to mitigate the impact of inflation.

"Yet another petrol bomb exploded on the masses in the dead of night. This is IK's way of providing 'relief' after giving a long sermon yesterday. Unfortunately, every day dawns with horrible news for the people. This incompetent/corrupt PTI govt & Pakistan can't go together!" Shehbaz tweeted.

"Days after announcing a 'relief package', PTI govt drops another petrol bomb by hiking petrol prices by a whopping Rs8.14/L. Petrol prices now stand at a record Rs145.8/L. First time in Pakistan’s history that prices of all the petroleum products are above Rs110/L," tweeted PPP Senator Sherry Rehman.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the prime minister’s relief package was a ‘takleef [pain] package’, adding that every announcement made by the prime minister was a “lie, deceit and fraud”.

PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari condemned the price hike in petroleum products, claiming that the prime minister’s relief package in the morning and increasing petrol prices in the night was not a “wise” decision.