PDM leaders demand snap polls to save country

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday protested against inflation and price hike in the country in Karachi, where the senior opposition alliance leaders unleashed a trenchant criticism against the incumbent government and demanded snap elections to rid the people of the “illegitimate and incompetent” rulers.

PDM President and the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the survival of the country was at stake owing to incompetence of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in his speech that snap and transparent elections were the only way forward in resolving prevailing issues of the country.

The rally was organised to protest against the “anti-people policies” of the government and the rising inflation. It was addressed by other PDM leaders, including Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Ackakzai and National Party (NP) leader Dr Abdul Malik.

In his address, Fazl promised that the opposition would leave no stone unturned to remove the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government from power. He added that if the current rulers were not “drowned in the Arabian Sea anytime soon, the survival of the country will be at stake”.

“The PDM is fighting for the survival of the country and its movement will succeed,” the JUI-F chief said. “This is an illegitimate and incompetent government, they have no idea about the problems of the people. We will march on Islamabad to get rid of the rulers,” he added.

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Fazl said that inflation had made life miserable for the common man. “People have put up boards in front of the Parliament Lodges offering to sell their children. All segments of the society – businessmen, traders, salaried class, labourers and others – are disappointed with this government.”

The PDM chief asked the state intuitions to review their “mistakes” and apologise to the nation, adding that the PDM would soon restore the rule of genuine representatives of the nation.
Former prime minister Abbasi said that snap and transparent elections were the only way forward in resolving the prevailing issues of the country. He added that the PDM’s struggle was aimed at ensuring supremacy of the Constitution in the country.

“Today, eight parties of the country are united on this point. All these parties want to run the system of Pakistan in accordance with the Constitution. All the institutions should remain within their constitutional limits,” Abbasi said.

“The people are not ready to accept this paralysed system in a country where public opinion is not respected. Inflation and unemployment have made people’s lives miserable. There is no solution to these problems other than immediate elections,” he added.

In his speech, Achakzai concurred with other PDM leaders, saying that no nation or country could prosper without the rule of law. He stressed that the country needed a democratic system in which every institution worked within its constitutional limit.

National Party leader Malik said that today the poor people were starving, people were being forcibly disappeared in Sindh and Balochistan, while students were protesting against the government. “This is a humanitarian issue,” he added.

JUI-F Central Secretary General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri criticised the federal government, saying that inflation was sky high. He added that the “selected rulers” neither initiated any mega projects nor could they fix the economy.

Shah Owais Noorani said that a federal minister was saying that gas would come three times a day. “Today, clean water is not available anywhere in Pakistan. The country is being pushed into darkness,” he added.

Strict security arrangements were made for the rally as hundreds of police were deployed at the venue and nearby areas. A large number of JUI-F volunteers were also on security duty. The visitors were allowed to enter the venue after going through proper checking.