Bilawal decides not to participate in PDM's protest on January 19

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto has decided to not participate in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) protest in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on January 19.

Citing sources The Express Tribune reported that a delegation of PPP will attend the protest outside the ECP's office in Islamabad, saying Bilawal will visit Umer Kot on the day of the protest and will attend the PDM's rally planned for Sargodha on January 23.

The leadership and senior members of the party will attend PDM's protest as planned, PPP's senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said.

According to The Express Tribune, Kaira said there are no clear details regarding the participation of the party's chief and Bilawal will look up his schedule "to make his presence in the rally certain".

On Wednesday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the party, under the umbrella of the 11-party opposition alliance PDM, would hold a rally towards the ECP against a foreign funding case in 2014.

Aurangzeb was referring to a foreign funding case against Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that was filed in November 2014 by Akbar S Babar.

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari are among major leaders who have said that they will send the Imran-led government packing and have orgsed several PDM rallies including those in Peshawar, Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta, Multan, and Lahore since October 16.

The PDM has announced the protest as it has demanded the resignation of Imran Khan by January 31.

( With inputs from ANI )