Opposition alliance announces public gathering in Karachi

QUETTA: The Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aaeen—an alliance formed by the opposition parties—announced to hold public gathering in Karachi on May 5, ARY News reported.

The five-party alliance’s nominated President Mahmood Khan Achakzai in a statement said that they would be holding a public gathering in Karachi on 5^th May followed by another one in Faisalabad on May 10.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had invited the opposition to sit and work together.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai suggested electing two representatives from each party to hold talks. The PkMAP chief said that he would also bring the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to the negotiating table.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai was of the view that the country is sinking into crises day by day. “All major decisions and policies for the country should be made in parliament,” he added.

Earlier, The multi-party opposition alliance named Mahmood Khan Achakzai as president of their newly formed alliance “Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aaeen” (Constitution Protection Movement) against the government.

Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal had hosted a meeting of the alliance that was also attended by Omar Ayub of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Mahmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Majlis-e-Wadhat-e-Muslimeen’s (MWM) Allama Nasir Abbas and Liaquat Baloch of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

They discussed and finalised a schedule for nationwide protest meetings.

The alliance was anticipated as the Grand Opposition Alliance as they announced to launch anti-government movement after Eid-ul-Fitr.

The opposition parties alliance also announced to hold public gatherings across the country to protest against ‘massive’ rigging in the elections. The schedule for public gatherings in other cities would be announced later in consultation with all parties.

Sources privy to the development said that the Moulana Fazal-ur-Rehman-led Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) would also be approached to join the opposition in the movement against the government.

BNP Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal has been tasked to contact Moulana Fazal-ur-Rehman and Jiye Sindh Party. The Grand Opposition Alliance would carry out the movement with a motto of ‘non-interference in politics, an independent judiciary, rule of law and supremacy of people’.