PDM announces long march to Islamabad on March 26

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the 11 party opposition alliance, has announced that it will kick off a long march towards Islamabad on March 26, ARY News reported on Thursday.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman – who is also the head of the 11-party opposition alliance – announced the decision while briefing media about decisions taken in the hours-long meeting held in Islamabad.

Briefing media about other decisions taken in the meeting, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the opposition parties will contest the upcoming Senate elections jointly.

He further said that the movement opposes the open ballot method of Senate polls and rejected the nomination of former judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, retired Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed as head of Broadsheet committee.

Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said that PDM will hold a public gathering in Muzaffarabad tomorrow in connection with Kashmir Solidarity Day

Prior to the press conference, a meeting between senior party leaders was held in Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other representatives of opposition parties.

The meeting lasting more than five hours was attended by PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari via video link.

PPP’s delegation included Bilawal Bhutto, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Farhatullah Babar. From PML-N, the party’s vice-president Maryam Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Rana Sanaullah were present.

Ameer Haider Hoti, Mehmood Khan Ackahzai, Aftab Sherpao, Akram Durrani, Owais Shah Noorani, Professor Sajid Mir, and Dr Malik were also in attendance.

Earlier today, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto chaired a party consultative session which the sources confirmed rejected en masse resignations recommendation circulated by the opposition alliance PDM as a bid to bring down the incumbent government.

According to the sources familiar with the developments within the session, PPP is assertive in its rejection of immediate resignations from the parliament, however, it has prepared a strategy to mobilize the masses for the long march.

Read: PML-N formally decides to participate in Senate elections

It is pertinent to mention here that the PDM meeting was held at a time when frictions appeared within its ranks over a lack of decisive policy against the incumbent government.

On January 27, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman threatened to leave the chieftaincy of the 11-party opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), after expressing annoyance over the sole decisions of Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.