KARACHI: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders have met in Karachi on Saturday before Sunday’s public gathering with Maulana Fazal ur Rehman bringing up resignations from Parliament once again.
“Time has come to launch a protest movement against ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and to take the ultimate step of resigning from the parliament”, the PDM leaders said in the meeting, which was held in a private hotel in Karachi.
JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman chaired the meeting, while PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and many other leaders attended in person. PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif participated through the video link.
The opposition alliance also decided to release a whitepaper on the federal government’s three-year performance. The meeting, however, was overshadowed by a JUI leader’s assertion that women were not allowed to attend the public gathering.
Speaking to journalists at Bag-e-Jinnah, JUI-F spokesperson announced that no woman was to attend PDM’s rally on Sunday. He claimed PDM’s member parties had made the decision with consensus.
PML-N’s Maryam Aurangzeb, however, denied that any such decision was made about women participation. She said active participation of women was expected in the rally.
Later, PDM head Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that women were to participate in the public gathering.
The PDM is preparing to hold a public gathering at Karachi’s Bagh-e-Jinnah on Sunday. JUI-F has set up a huge stage to accommodate as many as 500 people, according to a party spokesman.
At least 10,000 JUI-F volunteers will guard the gathering and escort leaders to the stage from the VIP entryway at the back of the venue, the spokesman said. The JUI-F has also set up toilets, ablution places, and canteens.
The JUI-F spokesperson also said madrassah students would openly attend the gathering. He was responding to a question about the government criticism of the PDM gathering.
