Opposition parties of Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PML-N have finalised their public mobilisation plan to join the October 31 anti-government ‘Azadi March’ in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl called off talks with the Pakistan government over his proposed ‘Azadi March’ which will call “to topple the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.”

Advertisement

Fazl, who has accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of coming to power via rigged elections, on Sunday stopped his party’s delegation from meeting Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, saying a decision on talks with the government would now be made by the opposition’s Rehbar Committee, Dawn news reported.

The Rehbar Committee, having representation of all major opposition parties, will meet on Monday at the residence of its convener and JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani to decide whether or not they should hold talks with the government team constituted by Khan.

Fazl had earlier categorically stated that they would only talk to the government only after Khan’s resignation, a demand which was rejected by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, the head of the government’s negotiating team.

Meanwhile Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) president Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has also criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and said Khan “has no capability” to complete his term as all political forces of the country and people belonging to all spheres of life had no other option but to go on an agitation against the “puppet government.”

The PPP leader made the remarks to the media while visiting the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre here on Sunday, Dawn news reported.

He said the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was not competent to steer the country to the right direction, which was the reason that everyone across the country was raising voice against its “anti-people” policies. The PPP leader said he was not seeing the government to last long for creating self-inflicting hard conditions.

“Everyone is fed up with this puppet government,” he added. At a rally on Friday night, Bhutto-Zaradari had announced nationwide anti-government protests to “restore ‘real’ democracy in the country.”

He said the PPP will protest in Thar on October 23, demonstrate in Kashmore on 26 whereas rallies in Punjab will begin from November 1.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl said on Sunday that the Rawalpindi chapters of all three parties held a meeting to discuss strategies to mobilise the public for the march, which will call to topple the incumbent Imran Khan-led government, Dawn news reported.

Party leaders have decided to bring their workers to the march prepared for a sit-in, he said, adding that they have also made plans for how to bring people to the march if the government places shipping containers to intercept them.

Fazl said PML-N leaders assured that the party would continue to work with the JUI-F until Khan resigns. They will continue to hold meetings over the next few days to continue planning according to their requirements, he said.

Rallies from Lahore and Peshawar, among other parts of the country, will enter Rawalpindi from Rawat and the Attock Bridge.

However, this was an initial plan and could be changed on October 29 or 30, Fazl added. Former PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan told Dawn that the party has made a plan to welcome the Azadi March in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and four teams have been formed to protect party workers.

PPP Rawalpindi chapter secretary general Chaudhry Iftikhar said the party was ready to participate and will launch a worker mobilisation campaign soon.