The opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Saturday announced to restart its mass movement against Imran Khan’s government.

The PDM leaders Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mian Shehbaz Sharif gave a press briefing after the PDM summit held in Karachi, 24News HD TV channel reported Saturday.

The PDM leaders talking about the decision in the meeting said they would hold road caravans and public meetings across the country and its schedule would be finalised in the first week of September.

Fazl said the PDM would stand with lawyers to save the judiciary and also participate in their announced protest on September 09.

He said they had decided to stage a protest during the address of President Arif Alvi to the joint session of the parliament.

Rejecting the government’s move on election reforms, Fazl said the idea of using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the elections was a conspiracy against the democracy in Pakistan.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) itself had already expressed some reservations and objections to the EVMs while the resting world had also rejected it for use in elections.

The PDM leader also clarified that women would participate in tomorrow public meeting at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi and PDM would protect them.

Addressing the journalists, he said the PDM had rejected the Media Development Authority and they would release a ‘white paper’ on the 3-year performance of the PTI government.

On a query about their policy toward People’s Party as a mainstream opposition party, Fazl said they had decided not to confront with the PPP and focusing on one goal of ending sitting government.

He also said that the PDM leadership would also highlight the issues regarding the rights of Sindh in the public meeting at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi tomorrow.

Earlier, in the PDM summit, Nawaz League’s self-exiled leader Mian Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif also addressed on a video link.  

In the summit, Fazl suggested collective resigns from the parliament and ‘Jails Filling Movement’ to press the government alongside resuming a series of anti-government rallies and sit-ins but rejected.

He was also of the view that just ‘meetings and sittings’ would not work to topple the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

He suggested that the form of a movement would have to be adopted and opposition should give tough time to the government on a daily basis against the existing policy of one meeting in a month.

PDM leader and Chairman of the Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao fully backed the idea of collective resignations from the parliament and suggested a ‘Long March’ towards Islamabad.

The opposition leader also urged the heads of the alliance in the meeting to intensify the anti-government movement by holding public meetings in Punjab especially.

Pertinent to mention here that during the PDM summit in Karachi some disorders were observed as the JUI-F people deputed on the gates of the meeting hall for the security purpose stopped several prominent leaders of the Nawaz League including former governor Muhammad Zubair, spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb and Atta Ullah Tarrar.

Anyhow, after good efforts, and interference of Nawaz League’s President Shehbaz Sharif, the PML-N leaders were allowed to enter the meeting hall. The JUI-F guards argued that the meeting hall had already filled so no more people could go inside.