Tag: long march

  • Ab tou dharnay hongay: Govt, Opposition set to do jalsas on same day in Islamabad

    Ab tou dharnay hongay: Govt, Opposition set to do jalsas on same day in Islamabad

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to hold a massive, what they are calling, a ‘public meeting’ at D-Chowk on March 27.

    As per media reports, the government has cautioned lawmakers that they will have to make their way through the crowd of ‘one million’ to enter Parliament House for casting their vote on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, which is expected to take place on March 28.

    The decision to gather PTI workers at D-Chowk on March 27 was made in the ruling party’s core committee meeting, which was presided by PM Khan himself.

    It is being reported that the core committee was also attended by National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday called the entire nation to march towards the federal capital on March 23 for an anti-government long march.

    “People should be ready for staying in Islamabad […] we are not sure till when will the long march last,” said Fazl.

    “From the door of the Parliament House to Shahrah-e-Dastoor, we will hold a historic rally. Through this, we will give a safe passage to all lawmakers for reaching the [assembly] safely and casting their vote,” said Maulana Fazl.

    PDM chief made the announcement after a meeting of Opposition parties which was hosted by Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif.

    In response to the PDM chief’s announcement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said he had already stated that the Opposition was against the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) session in Islamabad.

    “I had already said that Fazlur Rehman’s real agenda was against the OIC conference. They are not able to accept that OIC foreign minister’s meeting will take place here after 15 years,” tweeted Fawad.

    PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan said on Monday announced that the voting on the no-confidence motion against PM Khan will take place after March 27.

  • PPP announces party’s long march schedule towards the capital

    PPP announces party’s long march schedule towards the capital

    Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the party’s long march, which is set to take place on February 27.

    PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will start the long march from Karachi and will reach the capital in 10 days.

    According to the schedule, the long march will start from Karachi’s Mazar-e-Quaid on February 27.

    The marchers’ will reach Multan on March 3, where they will be hosted by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

    The march will reach Lahore on March 6 . The last stop of the march will be Islamabad on March 8.

    The PPP, however, has not disclosed the final venue where the participants will stay after reaching the capital from all over the country.

    PPP office-bearer, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the leadership would decide the duration of the stay in Islamabad after seeing the response of the masses and assessing the situation. However, he said, many party leaders believed that the past history showed that indefinite sit-ins staged by political parties had never remained successful.

  • ‘Political humiliation awaits, don’t create any problem for law’: Rasheed warns Opposition

    ‘Political humiliation awaits, don’t create any problem for law’: Rasheed warns Opposition

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Wednesday said that the government will not create any hurdles for the Opposition but also warned that doing so would result in “political humiliation” for the Opposition alliance.

    Addressing a ceremony in Rawalpindi, Rasheed said, “If you want to anger them (representatives of OIC countries) for the sake of your personal politics then come on March 23 and don’t [change the date]. Come on [March] 23 and God willing, you will face a political defeat and be humiliated.”

    “We will create no problem for you if you don’t create any problem for the law.”

    “What is your agenda? Why are you marching towards Islamabad?” the interior minister asked the Opposition, as he reiterated that they would face no resistance from the government.

    “I kept telling them [to change their date] for a month. If they think they are very intelligent, if they were actually intelligent then maybe we might have faced a legal threat from them today … now come on March 23 and be humiliated,” Rasheed reiterated.

    “The only thing they have done is give irresponsible statements against Imran Khan. The public did not come out on the streets in the last 3.5 years, and they will not come out now,” he said.

    Rasheed said PM Imran Khan was “an honest man”, who had a good relationship with the “establishment”.

    He warned the Opposition that the prime minister would indeed be “very dangerous” if he were to take to the streets against it. “I say this with authority: Imran Khan has street power.”

    Earlier this week, Rasheed urged the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to defer its long march, warning the Opposition of a potential terror threat.

    “Both Prime Minister Imran Khan and I love this country as much you (Opposition) do, but remember there is a terrorism threat on March 23,” he added.

  • ‘Govt will be removed in a democratic way, will take to streets on February 27’: Bilawal Bhutto

    ‘Govt will be removed in a democratic way, will take to streets on February 27’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the government forcibly passed the anti-people mini-budget in ‘the dark of night’.

    Talking to the media along with former Prime Minister (PM) Yusuf Raza Gilani, Bilawal Bhutto said that they protested inside and outside the Parliament against the mini-budget. They were promised that tax will not be imposed on a few items, but that was false as well.

    “The people of Pakistan are demanding that we take to the streets against this government and our CEC has decided that we will take to the streets on February 27,” added Bilawal.

    Bilawal Bhutto further said that they had talked about removing the government in a democratic way and also talked about a no-confidence motion.

    The PPP chairperson further said that the mini-budget was also passed in the dark of night and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) bill was also forcibly passed by parliament, after which the SBP will no longer be accountable to parliament.

  • Opposition confused? Bilawal plans February protest in Islamabad, Maulana in March

    Opposition confused? Bilawal plans February protest in Islamabad, Maulana in March

    The season of ‘the long march’ is back on in Pakistani politics. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday announced that he will lead a “long march” against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from Karachi to Islamabad on February 27.

    Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Bilawal said that the nation wants to get rid of the “selected” government and a transparent election is the only solution.

    Bilawal lashed out at the government and said that their “intentions are clear to get it approved by force” in Parliament.

    Terming the “mini-budget” as an “anti-state bill”, the PPP chairman said that we will protest in front of the Parliament House on the day voting is held.

    Contrary to the PPP, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is determined to hold a long march on Pakistan Day, March 23.

    The Opposition alliance pledged to reach Islamabad on March 23 and warned the authorities against any attempt to use force to prevent the marchers from entering the federal capital. The announcement was made by Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, president of PDM, in December 2021.

    While talking to the media and PPP’s former alliance with the Opposition’s PDM, Bilawal said that PPP is not a part of PDM anymore.

    “Now it is up to them whether they resign from parliament or not,” he said, adding, “PDM has not consulted with us on its long march against PTI.”

    Reportedly, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz is yet to decide whether she will be marching along with Maulana or not.

  • Maulana tells workers to continue long march preps despite PDM falling out

    Maulana tells workers to continue long march preps despite PDM falling out

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has directed the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter to continue preparations for the March 26 long march to Islamabad, reports said Thursday.

    A letter was written to the party’s KP leadership on Fazl’s directives, directing the leaders not to slow down the preparations. The letter said the long march has only been postponed until Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) makes its decision on the march.

    Nine of the 11 component parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are ready to participate in the long march while PPP has sought time to make a final decision concerning en masse resignations, the letter said.

    The development comes two days after the opposition alliance announced to postpone the long march after PPP linked its resignations from the legislative assemblies with deposed prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s return — a condition PML-N termed out of the question.

    “Nine parties [of PDM] were in favour of resignations along with the long march but PPP had expressed some reservations,” Fazl told reporters on Tuesday, adding the PPP would discuss the matter during its upcoming central executive committee (CEC) meeting.

    A day earlier, Fazl held a telephonic conversation with Nawaz and urged him to return to Pakistan, saying with top PML-N leadership living abroad in self-exile, it was difficult to execute decisions taken by the opposition alliance.

    After spending a year in prison, Nawaz, 71, secured a conditional bail in November 2019 to travel to London on the pretext of medical treatment and has since refused to return.

    His party insists that despite being summoned by the courts, which declared him a proclaimed offender in multiple corruption trials, the former premier will only return after the completion of his medical treatment.

  • PDM to decide on long march, resignations today

    PDM to decide on long march, resignations today

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will decide on long march and resignations from assemblies today in a meeting chaired by PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    Maulana Fazl, while talking to the media on Monday had said that in his personal opinion, without submitting resignations, the Opposition alliance does not stand to gain much benefit from the long march.

    PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz also said that the issue of resignations will be decided in the PDM meeting on Tuesday. She said the PML-N will try to convince those who don’t agree on resignations.

    “We have also agreed to their ideas before and they should also help us with the last push to get rid of this government in the larger interest of the nation,” said the PML-N VP.

    On the other hand, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is said to be reluctant when it comes to resigning from the assemblies.

  • Zardari says PDM united to send govt home

    Zardari says PDM united to send govt home

    In an apparent attempt to bridge the rift between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties, former president Asif Ali Zardari said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the PDM will send the “failed and incompetent” government home by all means.

    In a statement issued by PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor on Sunday, the former president said that the next few months were “very important for the future of the country’s politics”.

    According to the PPP co-chairman, the PDM is united and would use all means to send the government home. “These selected rulers will fall with their own weight and they just need a last push,” he added.

    Zardari said the government will have to go home as its “inexperience and ineptness might plunge the country into a bigger crisis”.

    He further criticised the government for its inability to handle the coronavirus crisis, saying the PTI government would neither procure coronavirus vaccine nor spend anything on the public.

    The PPP government had increased the country’s exports from Rs19 billion to Rs26bn in 2008 despite global economic recession and its revenues had also doubled, he said, adding that the government also increased the salaries of the government employees by 125 per cent.

    On Saturday, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that the opposition should bring a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan to send his government home. His remarks had prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its leader Ahsan Iqbal asking the PPP chairman to show the numbers.

    The response had given rise to speculations of a rift between the PPP and other PDM parties.

    Chaudhry Manzoor was quoted by Express Tribune saying that the PPP would use all available options to send the government “home”. He said that PPP hasn’t ruled out mass resignations and the long march, adding that a final decision will be taken with consensus.

    He also denied reports of a rift between the PDM parties, saying the difference of opinion shouldn’t be misconstrued. “The Senate elections will expose fissures in the government, which is when the option of no-confidence motion can bear fruit,” he was quoted as saying.

    Meanwhile, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal welcomed Zardari’s statement, as reported by the newspaper. “If PPP has a surprise up its sleeves regarding the no-confidence motion then it should bring it on the table,” he said, reiterating that all PDM decisions are consensual.