PDM announces march against 'puppet' Pak government on March 26

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Thursday announced a long march against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government on March 26. The march is seen as one of the major components of the opposition's anti-government movement, which began last year.

According to Dawn, the alliance's leadership in Islamabad, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the opposition parties in the PDM will contest the upcoming Senate elections jointly.

"Caravans of long march will leave for Islamabad from across the country on March 26," Rehman said and added that the PDM had decided that "we will contest the Senate elections jointly; there will be a joint strategy for it and we will not compete against each other. We will field joint candidates."

Dawn further reported that the opposition alliance chief said that the PDM will decide about the Pakistan Peoples Party's suggestion to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, as well as about resigning from assemblies, after the Senate elections.

Rehman said that the opposition parties had decided to "stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the common man" against the rulers, whom he held responsible for a steep rise in the prices of electricity, gas, petrol and food items.

Rehman and the alliance also rejected the one-member inquiry commission comprising retired Supreme Court Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh set up by the government to probe the Broadsheet scandal, and "declares it an attempt by the government to mask its corruption", he added.

The Broadsheet LLC, based in the Isle of Man, was hired by the NAB (National Accountability Bureau) during Musharraf's regime to trace out hidden assets of Pakists in foreign countries. The NAB signed an agreement with the Broadsheet but terminated it in 2003.

The scandal proved that Pakistan has been plagued by corruption. Instead of targeting the corrupt, the Broadsheet was used for political gains and safe passage was given to the corrupt people to escape accountability through National Reconciliation Ordinance.

Demanding an immediate decision in the Pakistan government's foreign funding case, Rehman said the prime minister's call for an open trial in the case was a "drama" because 18 of the party's bank accounts identified by the State Bank were being kept secret, according to Dawn.

"The opposition will continue its protest against the behaviour of the speaker and the chairman in the National Assembly and Senate and we will not cooperate with them in running proceedings of the house at any cost," the PDM president added.

He said Transparency International, whose analysis Prime Minister Imran used to laud in the past, had today "declared him a certified thief".

Accusing Imran Khan of seeking the biggest National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in the foreign funding case, the PDM chief said "Foreign funding case is the biggest scandal in the country's history and Imran Khan is the main accused in the case."

Pakistan Peoples' Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday called upon the joint opposition party alliance to "force the removal of puppets", referring to Imran Khan and his cabinet.

The PDM had orgsed several rallies including those in Peshawar, Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta, Multan, and Lahore since October 16.

( With inputs from ANI )