Pakistan: PDM to hit the streets against Imran Khan government over soaring prices

Islamabad: A multi-party opposition alliance - Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday decided to hold country-wide anti-inflation protests against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

According to a statement issued by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and the alliance`s Secretary-General, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PDM has decided to launch protests across the country as well as a long march towards Islamabad against the government`s "anti-people" measures and inflation, reported Dawn.

The statement was issued after it was decided in a virtual meeting of the PDM that protest rallies would be held in all provincial capitals."A protest will be held in Karachi on November 13, followed by one in Quetta on November 17 and in Peshawar on November 20," Abbasi said, adding that the last rally would be taken out in Lahore, from where protesters would march towards the federal capital, reported Dawn.

"This movement will end only after sending [Prime Minister] Imran Khan packing," it stated. "This is a movement to rid [the country] of Imran Khan." The former prime minister Abbasi said the overall economic and political situation in the country was discussed during the virtual meeting of the PDM today -- which was presided over by the alliance`s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

"[Spiralling] inflation, the National Accountability Ordinance, the so-called electoral reforms ... among other issues came under discussion," Abbasi said, adding that the PDM rejected the increase in the prices of electricity, gas, petrol, wheat flour, ghee, sugar, medicines and other essential commodities.The PDM demanded that the increase in the prices of electricity, gas, petrol and other commodities be reversed, reported Dawn.

"The actual reason behind inflation is the historic corruption by Imran Khan`s government," the statement said. The participants of the meeting demanded that the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund be made public and resolved to launch a "decisive movement against [the government`s] anti-people policies".

Abbasi said the PDM had also rejected the National Accountability Ordinance, election reforms, electronic voting machines, i-voting, deeming that they were based on mala fide intention, reported Dawn. 

The PDM`s announcement of protests against inflation comes as the government continues to face severe criticism by the opposition over the soaring prices of various commodities in the country. The criticism particularly intensified after Prime Minister Imran approved an Rs 8 increase in the price of petrol earlier this month. Major opposition parties, including the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have held countrywide rallies and protests over what they term "unprecedented inflation in the country". Meanwhile, Imran Khan announced a welfare package on Wednesday to mitigate the impact of inflation. 

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