All unanimous on long march, sit-in: Fazl

KARACHI: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Fazlur Rehman Sunday said it was their unanimous decision to stage a sit-in (dharna) in Islamabad after March 26 and they will not come and go away but demonstrate their strength with the support of people.

Talking to Saleem Safi, host of Geo News programme ‘Jirga’, Fazl said for them the long march did not mean they will come to Islamabad, pack up soon after and go back home.

“We will chalk out our future political strategy after the sit-in,” Fazl said.

He said it was not only long march, but they were also unanimous in staging a sit-in in Islamabad. He said it was the name of a movement that one should move ahead with the public power.

“Our demands will be the focus during this protest. All parties of PDM, including PPP and PML-N, have agreed that they will come here and staged a dharna,’ the PDM chief continued. “Experience tells us when people come out in large numbers, then strategy changes with each passing day, enabling us to decide what to say today and [what to say] tomorrow and what are the next issues,” he continued. Fazl said their demand was reelection, as the elections of 2018 and present assemblies and present government were not acceptable. Asked to whom they would raise this demand and who would hold elections, Fazl said they would put public pressure, because it was the work of movement (Tehreek) to take public power along and then several things automatically become its part. He said the illegality of PTI government was established from day one adding that its performance remained poor despite passage of two and a half years.

He said every person was observing the incompetence of the government and was also being affected by it. Fazl categorically said the current government could not run the country. To a question about the duration of the sit-in, Fazl said this strategy had to be hammered out at that time because the holy month of Ramazan was also arriving and the strategy will be made in accordance with the circumstances of that time.

He said movements never seize but continue unhindered. “It is no movement that we will come to Islamabad and go away,” he said.

Replying to another question, Fazl said they had weakened the government and there was no government at the moment.

Replying to another question, the PDM chief said he had no knowledge of any deal between the PML-N and PPP.

He claimed that before this movement, JUI-F had arranged 14 successful million marches which were participated by all the parties. He said Nawaz Sharif had gone abroad with the permission of government.

He said doctors were agreed at that time that it was inevitable to send Nawaz abroad for medical treatment.

Fazl said the opposition’s early decision of submitting resignations was taken in haste and it was withdrawn for the time being after the legal experts’ opinion that the Electoral College would not break despite dissolution of Sindh Assembly and Senate election would take place. “So we have decided to take part in the Senate elections.

He said the deadline of January had gone and now the opposition had to take action. He claimed that both PML-N and PPP would take part in the dharna with full force.

Fazl alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had sold Kashmir and if they did not protest against it, then who will do it. He said Imran wanted to settle Kashmir issue in accordance with the will of the United States of America.