Federal govt allows opposition to hold rallies with SOPs

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has agreed on Monday to let opposition parties hold rallies and processions across the country as the Prime Minister Imran Khan said their real agenda will reveal itself soon, ARY News reported.

After weeks-long deliberation and confusions over what the future might hold for opposition parties’ movement, the federal cabinet has finally approved opposition’s plans to hold rallies against the government across Pakistan after, it stated, the PM said holding them back in their futile bid will unnecessarily make them heroes.

According to the details, the PM held a critical huddle to mull over political matters of the country at present, wherein the ministers and assistants recommended to allow opposition parties to hold their rallies.

The ruling members suggested to the PM that opposition be allowed to bring out their rallies on specific spots while the district authorities in the relevant areas will ensure they follow COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

A while back, federal planning minister Asad Umar, elaborating on federal government policy, said that no party including the ruling ones should bring political rallies while the country still struggled with COVID-19 situation.

It is pertinent to note that the opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rallies and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PMLN) workers conventions have been slated to start from later this month.

READ: PDM moving towards politics of chaos, anarchy, says Rasheed

First PDM political procession is scheduled for Oct 25 in Quetta followed with second in Peshawar on Nov 22 and in Multan on Nov 30.

The next in series, according to the schedule, will be carried out on Dec 13 in Lahore and on Dec 27 in Larkana.

Meanwhile, the worker’s conventions have been scheduled to hold on Oct 29 in Nawabshah, on Oct 30 in Umarkot and on Oct 31 in Rawalpindi. They will continue into the next month with one on Nov 5 in Muzaffargarh, in Bahawalpur on Nov 26, in Faisalabad on Dec 3 and in Sahiwal on Dec 6.

Moreover, the leading opposition party of federal and in Punjab PMLN will hold its worker’s convention in Karachi later today followed with one in Malakand on Oct 19 and in Islamabad on Oct 22. The series will extend to Peshawar on Dec 4, in Sargodha on Dec 9 and in Gujranwala on Dec 11.