| Fazl says second phase of protest rallies will begin from Karachi on 21st January 
|  Maryam vows to keep fighting for civil supremacy till end 

ISLAMABAD   -  The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to hold protest in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against six-year delay in resolving foreign funding case against the ruling party.

The top leadership of PDM, except Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will take part in the protest and will address protesters. The leadership of each opposition party within PDM will lead the rally of their party workers from different spots towards the ECP.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers led by party’s Vice President Maryam Nawaz will start March from Nawaz Sharif Park and gather in Kashmir Chowk and the rally will finally reach ECP.

The workers of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) under the leadership of Maulana Fazlur Rehman will also gather at Kashmir Chowk and will jointly be heading towards ECP office.

Meanwhile, a total of 1800 police personnel have been assigned duties to guard the Commission and other relevant areas amid protest of the opposition parties. 

Earlier, while addressing the media after meeting of steering committee at his residence here in Islamabad, PDM’s Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced a final phase of anti-government rallies across the country.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, during his media talk, announced that the second phase of anti-government rallies will start from Israel Namanzoor Jalsa which was going to be held on January 21 in Karachi.

The second rally in solidarity with Kashmiri people will be held in Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi on February 5 and the third and fourth rallies will be taking place in Hyderabad and Sialkot each on February 9 and 13 respectively.

PDM’s chief further said that the opposition will hold rally in Pishin on February 16, in Sargodha on February 23 and the last rally just before the Senate elections will be taking place in Khuzdar on February 27.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while commenting on today’s (Tuesday’s) protest, said that opposition parties with full power and spirit will hold protest outside the ECP. He stated that they will demand commission to announce verdict in foreign funding case with no further delay.

Maulana Fazl elaborated that the ECP should not create any doubts over its status and role; adding that they were democratic people and will keep fighting for their rights within premises of the constitution.  

The PDM’ scheduled march to the Election Commission of Pakistan will be a protest and not an ‘attack’, the alliance’s president Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.

Fazl said PDM members were democratic people and followed the Constitution and law. “We want freedom of democracy in the country because that is the demand of the Constitution and the law,” he added. 

He said the PDM meeting discussed strategy for Tuesday’s protest outside the ECP and it was decided that “the PDM leadership will enthusiastically stage a protest demonstration in front of the Election Commission regarding the foreign funding case.”

Fazl termed the foreign funding case ‘the biggest scandal in Pakistan’s political history’ whose central character he said was Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He accused the premier of illegally collecting millions of rupees from around the world in the name of his party and “using them for political disruption and election rigging by bringing the money into the country through hundi and other means”.

He said the foreign funding case against ruling PTI had been pending for six years and Prime Minister Imran took “the mother of NROs” to create political instability in Pakistan and “used funds collected in the name of charity for personal business and spreading chaos, illegally and through secret accounts”. 

Meanwhile, PML-N’s Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said that their fight was for the civil supremacy as it was the main goal and motive of former PM Nawaz Sharif to minimise meddling of the institutions in politics.

Contradicting any backdoor contacts and connections, Maryam Nawaz said that there were no backdoor contacts and the opposition parties will keep fighting for civil supremacy till the end.

It must be noted that ECP, due to the PDM protest, has requested the government for providing security to the commission. The commission through its letter to the commissioner Islamabad has also asked the administration to allocate a specific and limited area for the protesters and do not allow the protesters from all sides as the officials of the ECP will then not be able to reach office and continue their duties.