PESHAWAR, Sept 27: The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on Thursday announced that all its legislators would resign en bloc from the National and provincial assemblies on Oct 2.
The decision was taken at a two-hour meeting of the alliance’s action committee held at the residence of PML (N) general secretary Zafar Iqbal Jhagra.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, JUI (F) chief and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman said: “This august forum has decided that members of the National Assembly will hand over their resignations to central leaders of the parties in the APDM, while members of the provincial assemblies would send resignation to their provincial heads on Sept 29.”
When Maulana Fazl announced that the NWFP chief minister would send an advice to the governor on Oct 2 seeking dissolution of the provincial assembly, workers burst out into loud cheers and shouted slogans of Allah-o-Akbar and ‘Long live the APDM leadership.’
“Heads of the parties of the APDM will submit their members’ resignation to the office of the speaker of the National and provincial assemblies on Oct 2,” he said.Qazi Hussain Ahmad, who was accompanied by Asfandyar Wali Khan, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Imran Khan, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Qadir Magsi and Maulana Mohammad Khan Shirani had invited Maulana Fazl to announce the decision.
Imran Khan said the decision would have a far-reaching impact on the country’s politics and would strengthen the opposition.
PML leader Zafar Iqbal Jhagra said that Maulana Fazl had rendered a great sacrifice by endorsing the decision of the APDM.
Maulana Fazl said that opposition parties would continue their struggle to end the military rule and would block re-election of Gen Pervez Musharraf.
He said it had been decided at the London meeting that the opposition would rid the nation of the unconstitutional government of Gen Musharraf, adding that the opposition parties would use all options to achieve its objects.
He said that the collective resignation would instil confidence into the people. Maulana Fazl said that the next meeting of the APDM action committee would be held at the residence of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Islamabad on Sept 29.
Sources privy to the meeting told Dawn that the Maulana tried hard to get the resignation decision delayed and insisted that more consultations were needed.
According to the sources, he argued that he had not collected resignations from legislators of his party. Therefore, he said, the decision be delayed till he collected the resignations.
“The entire leadership of the APDM was on one side and Maulana Fazl on the other, vigorously arguing in favour of not resigning from the assemblies,” the sources said. However, he finally gave in and accepted the APDM decision.
At one occasion, the sources said, Qazi Hussain told the meeting that JI members could not wait any longer and would go ahead on their own to resign from the assemblies if the APDM failed to take a final decision.
PESHAWAR, Sept 27: The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on Thursday announced that all its legislators would resign en bloc from the National and provincial assemblies on Oct 2.
