ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Peoples Party constituted on Thursday a five-member committee to devise a strategy for implementation of its four demands and for launching an anti-government drive, if the demands are not met.

Former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has been appointed as head of the committee, according to a notification issued by the party with the approval of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

PPP vice-president Sherry Rehman, newly-appointed president for central Punjab Qamar Zaman Kaira, party spokesman Farhatullah Babar and Senator Sardar Fateh Mohammad Hasni from Balochistan are members of the committee.

Talking to Dawn after the announcement of the committee, Senator Farhatullah Babar said the main purpose of forming the committee was to devise a strategy to force the government to accept the four demands, which the party chairman had announced on Oct 17.

Addressing the rally, Mr Bhutto-Zardari had set Dec 27 as the deadline for acceptance of the four demands by the PML-N government and threatened to launch a forceful protest campaign against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, if the demands were not accepted.

The PPP’s four demands include appointment of a full-fledged foreign minister, formation of a parliamentary committee on national security, passage of the opposition’s bill seeking investigation into the Panamagate scam and implementation of the resolution passed during a multi-party conference on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) held in May last year.

The resolution had called for construction of the western route of the CPEC to provide its benefits to small provinces.

When asked if the PPP would formally invite the government for talks on the demands, Mr Babar said that any decision in this regard would be taken by the committee when it held its meetings.

He said the committee would suggest ways and means to the government for implementing the four demands and would report back to the party chairman over any progress in this direction.

Replying to a question, Mr Babar said that the committee would definitely see the options available to the party in case their demands were not met by the Dec 27 deadline and would also prepare a plan to launch agitation against the government.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2016