by MANSOOR ALI in the Nation, Dec 7, 2020
ISLAMABAD – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) plans to place the option of en-mass resignations on table at the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) meeting to be held in Islamabad on December 8. The JUI from the very first day is in the favour of en-mass resignations; however, it has failed to convince the rest of opposition parties for that. A close aide of Maulana Fazlur Rehman told The Nation on Sunday that stance of the JUI leadership on the status of Imran Khan government was very clear.
He recalled that right after the 2018 general elections, the party had asked the other opposition parties not to take oath, but they did not pay any heed. The source close to Maulana Fazl further revealed that the JUI-F parliamentarians had already submitted their resignations with the party leadership, and now it was up to the other opposition parties to follow the precedent or not.
The source further told that almost all the parties in PDM were ready for giving resignations en-mass; however, there were still some parties which were yet to show willingness for that. Meanwhile, senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former senator Farhatullah Baber told The Nation that the opposition had many options to send the government home, adding that en-mass resignations and in-house change were at the top.
He said that the PDM’s upcoming meeting was of much importance as the opposition leadership will certainly take some difficult decisions in order to give more tough time to the government.
Farhatullah Baber told this scribe that the PDM leaders would go to any extent to get rid of the Imran Khan government as it had no idea as how to rule the country and put the country’s economy back on track.
Senior leader of Awami National Party (ANP) and media coordinator of the PDM Mian Iftikhar said that the Lahore Jalsa on December 13 would be a referendum against the ‘incompetent’ government. He stated that the government will not be able to stop the opposition from holding huge mass gatherings as it was their legal and constitutional right to stand up against what he called failed policies of the government.
Mian Iftikhar said that their main demand was holding free and fair elections in the country without the intervention of any external force.
